Microsoft is planning to hold a massive hardware launch event in October. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The Verge that the software giant will use the event to unveil two new Lumia handsets, the Surface Pro 4, and a Microsoft Band 2. Chinese site WPDang first reported details of Microsoft's plans, and we can confirm there will be an event to launch multiple new hardware devices.

Read next: The Surface Pro 4 review.

Microsoft is also planning one or two hardware surprises for the event, we're told. WPDang claims there may be a slimmer Xbox One, but a lack of rumors around Microsoft's console plans suggest this is unlikely. However, Microsoft could use the event to launch more Surface hardware outside of the anticipated Surface Pro 4. A Surface Mini had been planned for an unveiling alongside the Surface Pro 3 last year, but the device was scrapped just weeks before the launch. As we approach Microsoft's October event, we've heard whispers of additional Surface hardware but nothing solid on what form factors will ultimately arrive.

The main focus for Microsoft's hardware event will be the two new Lumia handsets and the Surface Pro 4. A Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL have been rumored for months, and specifications for both handsets have already leaked. All that's really left is to see what these handsets really look like and how they fit into Microsoft's new Windows 10 Mobile ecosystem.

Surface Pro 4 won't be a drastic change

Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 won't be a drastic change from the Pro 3 as the company has promised to keep the charging mechanism and overall form factor similar for businesses that have invested in accessories like the docking station. That doesn't mean Microsoft won't make big changes, though. The software giant can increase display size and resolution, while making the Surface Pro 4 thinner and lighter. Rumors have suggested Microsoft is planning Windows Hello support for the Surface Pro 4, but it's unlikely the company will fit an Intel RealSense camera into the thin device. Instead, a fingerprint scanner on an updated and refined Surface keyboard sounds more likely.

Microsoft will also unveil the Band 2 at its October event. Little is known about the device, but given the feedback around the original hardware it's a safe bet that the second version will look and feel a lot better.

Microsoft has not yet officially announced any press events for October, but the company is holding a Windows 10-related hardware event at Berlin's IFA conference in early September. We're told that Microsoft won't be announcing any new Surface products or any high-end Lumia devices at IFA, so expect to hear more details about the company's big hardware event soon.

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