While we are still waiting for an official announcement on Microsoft's Surface Pro 8, leaked information is slowly emerging.

WinFuture's Roland Quandt reports that one dealer source says the Surface Pro 8 will come with Intel's latest laptop-grade processor and up to 32GB of RAM. Apparently, LTE will only be available if a model with Intel's Core i5 processor is selected.

We already know that Microsoft is planning to include the new Intel Tiger Lake processor in the Surface Pro 8, and based on past experience, we can expect to see a variety of variations. However, as with the Surface Pro 7, it appears that consumers will not be able to get a more powerful Core i7 machine without sacrificing LTE connectivity.

According to Quandt, LTE Core i7 machines will exist, but retail versions will not be available. Similarly, no 5G variants will be available at all. Perhaps this is because 5G deployment is still a work in progress and many people live and work outside of its coverage.

Another disappointment is that the LTE model comes in only one color, platinum gray. That means you have to choose between looks and connectivity, and like the Surface Pro 7, there is no mention of a Core i3 model.

Still, there is some good news. Microsoft will offer a Core i7 variant with 32GB of RAM, the first time the Surface Pro will offer this much memory. This model will reportedly come with 1TB of storage and an option with 16GB of RAM.

Other variants, according to leaks, include 8GB RAM with 128GB or 256GB storage and 16GB RAM with 256GB or 512GB storage.

Unfortunately, don't expect anything other than minor specs upgrades this time around; despite speculation that the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 may be redesigned, the leaked engineering prototype is identical to the Surface Pro 7 and exactly the same chassis as the Surface Pro 7.

We had already heard rumors that the Surface Pro 8 would be available in the first half of 2021, and Quandt confirmed this. He also said it will launch alongside the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 and reported that it will ditch Intel and feature an all-new AMD chip.

Design changes and a total lack of LTE connectivity could put the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 outside of our best tablets list.