Surface USB-C dongle due out 'later this year,' Microsoft says

While the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop impressed with their debuts last year, some were disappointed by their notable lack of USB-C ports. Fortunately, Microsoft said at the time that it was planning to release a USB-C dongle for people who want to add the port to their Surface. Since then, Microsoft has been mum on when to expect the adapter, but now it looks like we have a better idea.

Speaking with The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the USB-C Surface dongle is "on the roadmap for later this year." Unless and until those plans are delayed, you can expect the adapter to be available before the end of 2018.

While Microsoft itself hasn't shown off the dongle in public, noted leaker WalkingCat has posted what appears to be a picture of it to Twitter. And yes, it does appear rather large.

A dongle certainly won't be for everyone, but it should go a long way toward satisfying many who opted for a Surface Pro or Surface Laptop. Given that Microsoft deemed it too early to bring USB-C to the devices in 2017, it's possible we could see it with future iterations; the port is already available on the Surface Book 2, for example.