Recently, Microsoft held a Build 2016 developer conference and surprisingly the company had very little to say about its mobile division. Enthusiasts who were looking to get some news about the upcoming devices were left sorely disappointed. However, this definitely didn’t in any way stop the rumors from swirling on the internet.
On where Microsoft is going in terms of smartphones, reports state that it is clear that Redmond wants to bring out a great offering in the Surface Phone. Though, there are theories that the Lumia series needs to be done away with, as sales do not seem promising nor the devices themselves project any significant appeal towards users.
Moreover, analysts are suggesting that as the Lumia lineup is doing very little to encourage users for using the Windows 10 Mobile OS platform, so, instead of wasting more resources there, the company may revert to focusing more on the Surface Phones.
Also read: Don’t Worry, Microsoft won’t kill Windows 10 Mobile: 3 Reasons Why
Several rumors are pointing out that since Microsoft has just started developing the Surface lineup with the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4 devices, it is likely that once it has all problems with the operating system and hardware ironed out, it will bring out a killer Surface Phone.
MSFT has also said that they are looking to dedicate this year to the Xbox One and HoloLens and they will make lesser releases as far as the phones are considered. This could mean that the device in question can be one of the expected releases.
Rumored Specs, Features, Price and Release Date
When it comes to expected specs, we hear that the Surface Phone may feature a 5.5-inches wide AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels. The device will reportedly run on an Intel Atom x3 processor with 4 GB RAM and 64 or 128 GB storage options, however, there is no report yet whether the storage will be expandable or not. The main camera is rumored to have a resolution of 21MP, while the ‘selfies’ shooter is said to be at an impressive 8MP.
As for the operating system, the device will run on Windows 10 Mobile and, as the company announced in the Build 2016, the ‘Redstone’ upgrade will be launched for the OS soon.
There is no confirmation officially from the company, though there are sources that suggest that Redmond may be looking to release the smartphone sometime in the month of October this year. At present, there is no rumor as far as the pricing is considered, however, looking at the rumored specifications, the device surely looks to be in the flagship category so a price tag of $450 or up can be expected, considering the past pricing of the Lumia device.
In addition to pricing, it is worth noting that the Surface Phone may as well be more affordable, if the company wants to make it even more competitive, especially against Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 7 and Samsung’s Galaxy S7 flagship smartphones.
What are your expectations of the Surface Phone? Let us know in the comments below.