14 DAY TRIAL // The Surface Phone is supposed to be Microsoft’s next big thing in mobile hardware even though the company is yet to confirm it, but the firm has already dropped several hints giving us hope that its unveiling could take place next year.
And thanks to a new report, we might also have a possible release date, although it’s worth noting from the very beginning that this isn’t confirmed just yet and everything should be taken with a healthy pinch of salt.
Polish website MSMobile.pl writes that the Surface Phone could see daylight in autumn 2017 with Windows 10 Mobile Redstone 3, which is the next update supposedly coming after the Creators Update early next year.
Doubling as a laptop
Citing rumors posted on Chinese Weibo, the same source adds that the Surface Phone could be released in three different hardware configurations, namely 3 GB RAM and 32 GB of storage, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage, and 8 GB RAM and 500 GB of storage.
With the Surface Phone, Microsoft is said to be aiming at bringing its main platforms closer to each other, so this new device could borrow more or less substantial parts from PCs, laptops, and tablets, while also offering the advantages of a typical smartphone.
As a result, Microsoft might be planning a laptop accessory that could turn the Surface Phone into a small portable laptop, making it super easy to work on the go, while also keeping the portability of a phone. Concepts imagining this approach have already been seen online, and at some level such a design would make sense, but it remains to be seen how exactly it feels working on a screen the size of a smartphone.
While this is just a rumor for the time being and nobody can tell for sure if this is Microsoft’s plan or not, it actually aligns with the company’s recent efforts, as launching a Surface Phone that can double as a laptop could continue its strategy of inventing new product categories.