14 DAY TRIAL // While Microsoft has barely talked about phone hardware in the last couple of years, the company often made the headlines thanks to prototypes that revealed what its mobile operating system could have been if several projects were further developed and received the go-ahead for mass production.
One such example is a Windows 10 Mobile device with a Surface Pen, which we all know has been under development as part of what we all hoped to be the Surface Phone.
In this leaked video, we don’t actually get to see the Surface Phone, but an early prototype of a Lumia 950 with support for the Surface Pen. While stylus support on a Lumia phone isn’t something to really be excited about, it’s living proof that Microsoft did consider such a project, especially given all the rumors that the Surface Phone could be a productivity monster.
It goes without saying that a Windows phone with support for a stylus would have allowed Microsoft to compete with the big guys in the smartphone race, and the first name that comes to mind is obviously Samsung, whose Galaxy Note series is super-successful already.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is Microsoft’s favorite stylus device
Instead of investing in a Windows phone with stylus support, the software giant has turned to a different strategy that comes down to bringing several Android devices in its own stores, including the… Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Oddly enough, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which is pretty much the best smartphone with stylus support that money can buy right now, is being sold by Microsoft itself, as part of a partnership with Samsung that also brought the Galaxy S8 to the Microsoft Store.
Right now, the closest thing to a mobile device is what’s believed to be a digital notebook that Microsoft is said to be working on, though details in this regard are still sketchy for the time being. One thing is sure though: Microsoft isn’t planning any new phones and the video you see below is just what could have been if the company was more committed to smartphones.
