Microsoft Surface Tablet with Smaller Build and Cheaper Price Spotted in FCC Filing

Microsoft has been speculated to be working on a smaller Surface tablet that will be sold at a much cheaper price. The company is naturally silent about these reports, but a recent filing to the Federal Communications Commission might have confirmed the arrival of the budget-friendly 2-in-1 device.

The actual filing for a “Portable Computing Device” was assigned with FCC ID C3K-1824 (via WinFuture) and was submitted on Monday. Unlike patent filings, documents submitted to the FCC are a more certain indication that the machine described in them is close to being released to the market.

FCC filings usually contain little to no information at all about the device’s specifications and other features. In this case, the documents made reference to a charger that requires lower power. This supports speculations that the unannounced Surface model is a lower-end model and is likely going to be an entry-level product for the Microsoft Surface lineup.

Despite Microsoft’s silence about the rumored Surface tablet, there were several reports released earlier this year pointing to the launch of a new, budget-friendly tablet from the Redmond, Washington-based company. In May, Bloomberg reported on the upcoming Surface tablet and added that it is pegged to cost around $400 only — about 50 percent cheaper than most Surface tablets.

Bloomberg also reported that this the smaller and cheaper Surface tablet is Microsoft’s attempt at overtaking Apple in the tablet market competition. The same report added that the upcoming Surface tablet will sport a 10-inch screen, USB-C ports, and a design similar to the iPad, with round edges.

Then, last month, Thurrott.com reported that the smaller Surface tablet is internally called Libra and is slated to be unveiled within this year. Thurrott.com also mentioned that Microsoft is working on the Surface Pro 6 tablet codenamed Carmel. However, it is expected that the 10-inch Surface tablet will be the highlight model to be released by Microsoft this year as the Surface Pro 6 is rumored to launch in 2019.