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Microsoft’s Surface Phone Won’t Be a Rival to Apple’s iPhone

Redmond to target businesses with its upcoming phone

Jul 7, 2016 08:51 GMT  ·  By
With the Surface Phone, Microsoft might be trying to invent a new category, just like it did with the Surface tablet
   With the Surface Phone, Microsoft might be trying to invent a new category, just like it did with the Surface tablet

Microsoft’s eagerly anticipated Surface Phone was expected to see daylight in spring 2017 together with the next Surface Pro and Surface Book models, but with the company now planning to unveil these two devices in the fall of 2016, little is known about the future of the handset.

A report from ZDNet and citing sources familiar with the matter indicate that the Surface Phone is still being worked on behind closed doors at Microsoft, but its release date continues to be uncertain.

The same team that designed the Surface tablet and led by Panos Panay is believed to be in charge of building the Surface Phone, with Microsoft planning to go for a similar strategy for its mobile efforts. Just like for the tablet, Microsoft will build one premium device and let partners take care of the rest of the ecosystem with more affordable models.

The Surface Phone will be ARM-based, and it seems that there are big chances for the device to be powered by the yet-to-be-released Snapdragon 830, although this depends on the moment when the phone actually sees daylight. Microsoft wants it to come with the latest in terms of hardware, so the newest Qualcomm processor is very likely to be offered on the Surface Phone when it sees daylight.

Not an iOS or Android rival

But what’s more important is that Microsoft will specifically target businesses with the Surface Phone, so it won’t compete against phones from Apple or Samsung. Although both the iPhone and some Android models are also used in the enterprise, Microsoft wants the Surface Phone to be a device primarily aimed at this market, so it’s preparing several features in this regard.

For instance, the focus will be on Continuum, the company’s Windows 10 Mobile feature that allows a phone to become a portable PC with the help of an adapter and an external screen. Continuum will get major updates when the Surface Phone hits the market, but details in this regard are still inexistent.

The good thing is that Microsoft is still working on the Surface Phone, so although no other Lumia devices are prepared, it’s living proof that there’s no plan to leave the mobile market, as some have suggested. Redmond has said on several occasions that it’s still supporting Windows 10 Mobile, and launching a flagship model such as the Surface Phone is the best way to do that.