Microsoft Surface Pro 5 might not be the big upgrade you're expecting

Microsoft won hearts far and wide last fall with its all-in-one Surface Studio touchscreen desktop PC. The beefier Surface Book, not so much.

What people really wanted was a new Surface Pro, but Microsoft wasn't ready to announce anything. It's now spring and technology blogger Paul Thurrott has revealed what could be the first details for the Surface Pro 5.

Citing an insider source who's reportedly seen the Surface Pro 5, Thurrott says the the new device might not be a major revamp and could be more like a "Surface Pro 4.5".

That could mean any number of things, from a design that looks the same (or very similar) to the Surface Pro 4, to minor upgrades in performance.

In addition to seventh-generation Intel "Kaby Lake" processors, the next-gen Surface Pro will reportedly use the same Surface Connect power connector.

Beyond those little nuggets, we don't really know much else. It'll be disappointing if Microsoft releases a new Surface Pro that's little more than just a spec bump.

At the very least, the next Surface Pro needs to have USB-C, if only because everything's moving towards USB-C being the one port to rule them all. We also wouldn't mind seeing better battery life and a more sensitive Surface Pen stylus.

Though Microsoft has yet to announce any upcoming product events, ZDNet says the company's planning a spring event to possibly introduce the new Surface Pro and other new hardware. A Surface Book 2 and new HoloLens, however, won't be announced at the event.

Foley also says she believes Microsoft could use the new hardware to highlight features (like Paint 3D!) from Windows 10 Creators Update, which drops on April 11.

Fingers crossed Microsoft can continue to wow with its Surface Pro, now that it's raced by the iPad for U.S. tablet satisfaction, according to J.D. Power.