Microsoft: Surface Hub 2S will be available in Q2 2019 with original Surface Hub software, can be updated to Surface Hub 2X in 2020 using an upgrade cartridge
Surface Hub 2S to launch next year, followed by Surface Hub 2X update in 2020 — Microsoft is unveiling hardware changes to its Surface Hub 2 today.
Context & Ripple Effects
When Microsoft first showed the Surface Hub 2 in May 2018, it was pitched as a single next-generation device — a rotating, Teams-powered tablet for conference rooms. Today's announcement splits that vision in two: the Surface Hub 2S will ship in Q2 2019 running the original Hub's software, while the more ambitious 2X experience arrives separately in 2020 via an upgrade cartridge.
That structure makes the 2S a transitional product by design — buyers are being asked to purchase hardware whose headline features are deferred to a paid add-on. It also sets up a testable promise: either the cartridge ships and modular upgrades become the norm for this category, or Microsoft's own later roadmap tells us how it ended.
First-order effects
- Enterprise buyers evaluating the 2S in 2019 are effectively pre-ordering the 2X: they pay for the 50-inch hardware now and bet their meeting-room standard on Microsoft delivering the cartridge on schedule.
- The staggered launch gives Microsoft two revenue events per customer instead of one, and lets it hit the Q2 2019 window without waiting for the 2X software stack to be finished.
Second-order effects
- Rival collaboration-display vendors face a moving target: if the cartridge works, Microsoft can re-price the same installed base in 2020 rather than compete only on new-unit sales.
- IT departments planning multi-year deployments must budget for the upgrade SKU alongside the $9,000-class hardware price, complicating procurement comparisons against all-in-one competitor boards.
Third-order effects
- The subsequent roadmap suggests the modular bet didn't hold: instead of a 2X cartridge wave, Microsoft moved to successive hardware generations — the Surface Hub 3 arrived in 2023 as new devices — implying upgrade-cartridge promises in this category tend to collapse into generational refresh cycles.
- If deferred-software launches become the pattern, conference-room displays shift from fixed appliances to subscription-like platforms where the initial hardware sale is just the entry point for ongoing feature revenue.
The trend: Conference-room display hardware is evolving from one-shot appliance purchases into staged platform plays, where vendors sell hardware early and monetize the promised software future through add-ons or full generational replacements.