Skip to main content

New Surface keyboard, mouse might join reveal of Microsoft’s two-screen laptop

Arif Bacchus/Digital Trends

Microsoft is holding a media event in New York City on October 2, and it is widely believed that the company might finally reveal the long-rumored two-screen Surface Centarus device. Newly approved FCC filings, however, indicate that Microsoft could also possibly debut a new Surface wireless keyboard and mouse at the event to pair up with any new hardware.

Although the filings do not confirm whether the keyboard and mouse will be entirely new products or just a refresh, they do seemingly reveal two previously unseen model numbers. This includes 1898 for a wireless keyboard and 1929 for a mouse. Diagrams also speculate and show would-be designs for what could be the end products, as first obtained by the Italian blog, Windows Blog Italia.

Based on the diagrams, with the keyboard, it could be assumed there will be a battery chamber on the top left-hand corner of the device. This could be the spot for AAA batteries, as is with the current Surface Keyboard, or it could be a rechargeable internal battery.

Recommended Videos

As for the mouse, the design appears to be fairly similar to the current Surface mouse, but with the Bluetooth pairing button moving from the center to the bottom. The tracker and sensors could also move from the middle to the left side of the mouse. A housing for batteries is also absent, hinting at rechargeable technology similar to Logitech’s MX series. Again, this has not been confirmed and is just speculation based on the diagrams.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The filings were just approved on September 3, giving extra reason to believe that the new accessories are pending an October launch. Back in 2016, similar filings with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group had leaked in the leadup to Microsoft’s fall hardware event. Those filings had revealed all the details the current generation Surface Keyboard and Mouse, which were both revealed alongside the original Surface Studio.

Currently, Microsoft’s lineup of Surface-branded accessories is led by the Surface Keyboard, Surface Ergonomic Keyboard, and the Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID. There is also the Surface Arc Mouse, Mobile Mouse, Surface Mouse, and Surface Precision Mouse. Other non-Surface branded keyboards and mice include the Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse, as well as the Microsoft Designer Bluetooth Desktop keyboard and mouse combo.

Alongside any new Surface accessories, Microsoft is also rumored to reveal the Surface Pro 7, as well as other updates or refreshes of the Surface Book and Surface Laptop during the October 2 event.

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
This sleeper Asus laptop is faster and cheaper than Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 3
Asus ZenBook 14 OLED front angled view showing display and keyboard.

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Microsoft has introduced the third generation of its ostensibly budget laptop offering. Starting at $800, the diminutive Surface Laptop Go 3 is actually priced more as a midrange laptop, which is even more true at its $1,000 upgrade price. For this much money, there's a lot of strong competition.

Read more
Don’t buy the Surface Laptop Go 3 — here’s what you should get instead
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 front view showing display and keyboard.

As a former marketing professional and a laptop reviewer, I often find myself surprised and sometimes confused by the decisions companies make when launching a laptop. An example is when a company introduces just one or two configurations that may not meet the needs of a range of users and, as a result, starts a laptop off on the wrong foot. In that case, I can at least understand the complexity of manufacturing and component sourcing. Although I'll mention a lack of options in a review, I won't necessarily ding a laptop because of it.

Some mistakes, though, are harder to overlook. That's how I feel about Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 3, which the company introduced at a significantly higher price than its predecessors. The laptop, which is designed and configured like a budget machine, starts at $800 and runs up to $1,000. Those are midrange prices, but the Surface just can't compete against many midrange laptops.
$800 is too much
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Read more
Surface Laptop Go 3 vs. Surface Pro 7+: is it an upgrade?
Microsoft Surface Pro 7

The Surface Laptop Go 3 is Microsoft's new affordable Surface laptop, with upgraded hardware and long battery life making it a compelling option for budget laptop buyers in 2023. But for anyone considering an upgrade to a Surface device at around that $800 price, the Surface Pro 7+ still presents an attractive purchase, and it can flip into a tablet when you need it.

That brings to mind the age-old question, of whether newer is automatically better. In this case, it might not be. Let's take a look at the Surface Laptop Go 3 versus Surface Pro 7+, to find out.

Read more