Microsoft Patent Hints Surface Pro 7 With USB-C And New Type Cover

That could change, however, with the Surface Pro 7 thanks to a new patent filing. The patent shows the inclusion of a USB-C port on the side of the device to complement the existing DisplayPort and USB-A interfaces. In essence, Microsoft is giving customers the best of both worlds; something that we feel it should have done years ago.

Interestingly, there doesn't appear to be any provision for the Surface Connect port, which is used to charge the device (and connect other third-party peripherals). The most obvious result of this move would be that Microsoft is looking to move towards USB-C charging for the Surface Pro 7 -- which again would be a change that most of the company's competitors adopted years ago.

Another interesting change, which was noted by Windows United, is the adoption of magnets that are embedded both within the Type Cover and within the Surface Pro 7's chassis. This would allow the Type Cover to stay firmly in place when attached to the Surface Pro (but not currently in use, like in tablet mode). This magnetic "grip" would also come into to play when the Type Cover is covering the display for transporting purposes.

While the assumption is that the patent is related to the Surface Pro 7, it's possible that Microsoft could just be kicking the tires a bit, and won't implement these features into a future design. However, the fact that these features would be such a common sense "no brainer" move, we'd be really surprised if they didn't show up on this year's hardware refresh.