Surface Book 3 launch imminent — and it’s getting this important new feature

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

It's been almost two-and-a-half years since Microsoft released the Surface Book 2, the most powerful of the portable Surface devices, but the wait for the Surface Book 3 may finally be at an end, according to a new FCC filing (via Windows Latest).

Naturally, Microsoft requested confidentiality to avoid public disclosure prior to the announcement, so there is no specific mention of the Surface Book 3 or images of it in the filing; It is merely identified as Model number 1899.

We saw a similar FCC filing for the Surface Go 2 a couple of weeks ago identified as model number 1927, so we know this isn't that device. The Surface Pro 8 isn't due out for several months and references to the tests being conducted in laptop and tablet mode help narrow this down to the Surface Book 3.

(Image credit: FCC)

The one new piece of information found in the filings is the inclusion of the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 adapter. Given the price point and the rest of the specs that have been leaked for the Surface Book 3, the presence of Wi-Fi 6 doesn't come as a surprise, but it's good to have confirmation of this future-proof feature.

You can read our full roundup of the Surface Book 3 rumors, but we expect there will again be a 13.5 and 15-inch model available with Nvidia GPU options, 16GB or 32GB of RAM, and an Intel Comet Lake or Ice Lake CPU.

Given previous rumors and the proximity of these FCC filings, we will likely see the announcement of the Surface Book 3 in May or June, either alongside or shortly following the Surface Go 2 and the Surface Buds announcements.

Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.