MICROSOFT SURFACE PHONE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Microsoft has pretty much reached 'final roll of the dice' time on mobile. Windows 10 Mobile has followed Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8.1 in the disappointment stakes, while the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL were no way to relaunch a platform.
With the final traces of Nokia all but expunged from Microsoft, most people are in agreement that there's only one way forward: Surface Phone. And recent developments are strongly hinting at such a device, with Microsoft reportedly planning to kill off the Lumia line for good before the end of 2016.
The Surface team has already managed to turn the Apple-dominated laptop market on its head. Can it do the same for the smartphone? Here’s what we know so far.
SURFACE PHONE FAQ
When will the Surface Phone be released? First half of 2017 (possibly)
How much will the Surface Phone cost? $699 - $1,100 (approx. £499-£799)
What’s new about the Surface Phone? Rumoured: Three variants, Snapdragon 830 CPU, 5.7-inch display, improved Continuum support, keyboard flip case
SURFACE PHONE NEWS AND RUMOURS IN BRIEF
There have been numerous rumours surrounding the Microsoft Surface Phone, but the only solid piece of evidence from Microsoft that such a device might be in works came in January, when it emerged that Microsoft had obtained the surfacephone.com domain name.
Of course, large companies obtain related web addresses all the time without ever intending to put them to use, so this is far from confirmation that a Surface Phone is in the works.
Still, industry chatter suggests that Panos Panay and his Surface team are working on a smartphone to replace the Lumia family, and that it'll come in an all-metal body – just like the Surface hybrid laptop family.
The most recent indication that Microsoft is planning to introduce a new phone, or series of phones, comes via WinBeta, which reports that the company is planning to end sales of its Lumia phones by the end of 2016.
This report remains unconfirmed, however. But it seems reasonable to us, with the range already whittled down to just four handsets – the Lumia 550, 650, 950, and 950 XL. With the Lumia line out of the way, Microsoft would be in a good position to debut the rumoured Surface Phone.
And in slightly more dubious news, German site MSMobile reported that Microsoft's Australian Twitter account leaked the Surface phone, tweeting an image which seemingly showed the device. The site has since said it believes the screenshot of the tweet to be fake, however. And while several outlets reported on the development, the whole thing seems a tad dodgy to us.
Elsewhere, rumours from Windows Central suggest that the Surface Phone won’t necessarily take on its flagship rivals directly, but will instead be the most secure and productivity-focused phone around. In other words, it’ll be the new BlackBerry rather than the new iPhone.
More recently, we’ve seen several sources claim that the Surface Phone will come in three iterations: a consumer model, a business model, and an enthusiast edition. We’ve also been given an alleged render of the device from Chinese social media, which shows the device with what appears to be a keyboard flip case peripheral.
We also have some solid news that, while not directly related to the Surface Phone, should certainly encourage those hoping for one. Microsoft recently launched its own mobile payment system, which it's calling Microsoft Wallet, for Windows 10 Mobile. The fact that it's gone to the trouble of putting in the time and money to take on Apple Pay and Android Pay in the mobile payment game suggests that it's far from done with smartphone hardware.
SURFACE PHONE FEATURES: WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THE SURFACE PHONE?
As we’ve mentioned already, rumour has it that Microsoft will be aiming for business users first and foremost with the Surface Phone.
To that end, it’s claimed that Microsoft will push Windows 10 Mobile’s Continuum feature even further with the Surface Phone, enabling it to work much better as a PC when you hook it up to the appropriate gear. It’ll even be able to run Win32 apps.
It would certainly make sense, given the keyboard covers that have appeared in early renders. If accurate, Microsoft clearly remembers that business phone users love their physical keyboards from the BlackBerry days.
SURFACE PHONE SPECS
Several sources claim that the Surface Phone will come in three flavours, all with a different memory and storage set-up. These could look like this:
- Version 1: 3GB RAM / 32GB storage
- Version 2: 6GB RAM / 128GB storage
- Version 3: 8GB RAM / 500GB storage
8GB of RAM sounds like an awful lot of RAM for a smartphone (and 500GB of storage should fit a fair few selfies!), but keep in mind those comments about the Continuum boost. Microsoft wants you to be able to plug your phone into a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and essentially turn it into a desktop PC.
One component that isn’t mentioned here is the Surface Phone’s CPU. According to Mobipicker, this could well be the Snapdragon 830, which will be next year’s top mobile chip from Qualcomm. This is because Intel’s future with the Atom processor is in question, so Microsoft may not simply be able to slot a laptop-grade CPU into its new flagship phone.
All three models could feature a 5.7-inch display, if reports are to be believed, and we’ll eat our hats if they don’t pack a QHD resolution. We’ve also heard mention of a 21-megapixel Carl Zeiss PureView rear camera.
Lastly, we're expecting to see the Surface Phone fitted with a USB Type-C port, given that the Lumia 950 family also features the new standard.
SURFACE PHONE RELEASE DATE
Most rumours we’ve read suggest the Surface Phone will launch in 2017. The precise date or month for this varies from a vague ‘early’ to a rather more precise ‘April’.
Whatever the month, this would tie in with comments made by Microsoft executive Terry Myerson when he said that Windows Phone was not the company’s focus in 2016.
If you’re wondering why Microsoft is taking its sweet time with the Surface Phone, it’s because there are two major Windows 10 updates around the corner. Windows 10 Redstone 2 and Redstone 3, as they’re known, will apparently feature a lot of new mobile-specific features, and the Surface Phone will be the device to push them.
SURFACE PHONE PRICE
We’re still quite far out from the Surface Phone’s likely launch, but there are already reports on how much it’ll cost.
The phone’s premium, business-centred positioning will result in a suitably chunky price tag, it seems. The Bitbag claims that prices will start from $699 for an 'entry-level' model and run right up to $1,099 for the top-end model.
That’s a range of around £485 to £765 before VAT and the like, so we'd speculate that UK pricing will end up ranging from £499 to £799 – and maybe even more.
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