Microsoft Surface Phone Release Date, Specs Rumors: Late 2017 Phone Entry Might Be Able to Run PC Apps

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Details are few and scattered when it comes to the Surface Phone, Microsoft's newest foray into the handset market. It would look like Microsoft is taking its time with the device, with the goal of designing a device that will be its own category — similar to the company breakthrough that is the Surface.

With this goal in mind, it is to be expected that the rumored specs and release dates will be in constant flux. Trustedreviews has a round-up of the speculated features and timeline for the device. Nokiapoweruser reports of a trusted source confirming that the launch date has been pushed back to late 2017, in contrast to most unconfirmed reports that agree on a release within the first half of this year.

Sources, according to Nokiapoweruser, have reported about prototypes built with the new Snapdragon 835. These prototypes are also said to support Quick charging 4.0. Based on initial impressions, sources also claim a possible 5.5-inch quad high-definition (QHD) displays for the prototype. It is also rumored to have its own "Laptop Accessory" detachable keyboards. The inclusion of a stylus and other add-ons remain to be seen.

An interesting report is about one prototype with 6 GB random-access memory (RAM) that already has the ability to run X86 apps. In theory, this may allow the Surface Phone to run Windows applications — essentially becoming a PC in a phone.

Microsoft has just officially announced that they have made it possible to run Windows 10 on phone hardware — a concept that the company calls "cellular PCs." This can have a huge impact on business users who depend on desktop applications for their work. It remains to be seen if the "cellular PC" implementations can run most of the current Windows apps.

At the least, it will bring the Surface Phone a step closer to its goal of differentiating itself from other premium phone offerings. Microsoft may yet reveal more details, as it was leaked that the company will be present at the Mobile World Congress 2017 (MWC 2017).

Watch below for Microsoft's demonstration of Windows 10 running on a mobile processor.