Microsoft Announces Launch of New Surface Tablets at May 20th Event

Microsoft is set to introduce a series of tablets ranging from more affordable "minis" to high-end "pro" devices.

The company will be introducing the 'Surface' tablet series on May 20th at its first event since Satya Nadella became the CEO a little over three months ago.

Nadella has been spearheading the effort to sort of rebrand the software giant into a mobile/cloud-oriented service and device provider.

The new CEO is already credited for making the impressive decision to launch the Microsoft Office suite for Apple's iPad, a move that attracted more than 27 million app downloads, 12 million in the first week only.

Although the company's shares have risen 9% in the short time he's been acting as the chief executive, Tuesday's event will be a major milestone and proving ground for Satya.

Below we'll provide a brief overview of the main attractions that are expected to be fully unveiled at Microsoft's upcoming tablet event:

Surface Mini to Compete in the 7 Inch Tablet Sector 

Reports suggest that the Surface Mini will come loaded with the Windows RT operating system and will be powered by an ARM chipset.

Although the exact size and official retail price have not yet been disclosed, we expect it to have similar specs to its leading competitors - the iPad Mini and Google Nexus 7.

However, there are a few perks that will differentiate Microsoft's tablet from the competition. First, it will come equipped with a stylus pen accessory that is said to be highly accurate and will directly integrate with OneNote's note-taking capabilities.

Also, it will be launching alongside a click-in case and adjustable kickstand platform. Of course, fan's of the Windows operating system may find the Surface tablets more comfortable on the software side compared to iOS and Android.

Another interesting fact to note is that the Surface Mini will be powered by a Qualcomm processor instead of the Nvidia chipsets commonly seen in smaller tablets.

Surface tablets were supposed to hit the market last year but the original launch was delayed due to production delays. The Mini is expected to become commercially available in June of this year.

Surface Pro 3 Speculation and Leaks

There has also been talk about a new Surface Pro tablet that will run on either a low-voltage Intel Haswell processor or an Intel "Skylake" i7 chip (the official specs will be unveiled on the 20th).

Although the exact features of this device have not yet been released, it is safe to assume that it will be in the size range of 7 to 10 inches, and that the performance will be considerably better than the Surface Mini.

There have also been rumours suggesting that the Surface Pro would get an exceptionally high-resolution screen like a backlit Retina IPS display, which could rival the display on the iPad Air and other high-end tablets like Sony's new waterproof Xperia Z2.

Supposedly the latest Windows 8.1 update has already added support for the Surface Pro 3. We also know that the new edition will be even thinner than its predecessor the 2-pound Surface Pro 2.