Lots of rumors have been floating around about the yet-unacknowledged-by-Microsoft Surface Phone that is expected to make its debut in late October. New sources now say that the phone will be available in multiple variants.
The report doesn’t say what combination of RAM and internal memory we’re expected to see on the new Surface Phone, but the options are 4 GB, 6 GB and 8 GB RAM, and 64 GB, 128 GB and a whopping 512 GB of internal memory. The screen is likely to be 5.7-inches, and the phone is expected to come with a flip-cover keyboard for ease of use. There’s also a possibility that they may do away with the idea of a just the standard 5.7-inch screen and offer a 5.5-inch screen and 6-inch screen options as well. That ties in with the 3-tier sales model – a base model, a mid-range option and a top-end variant but, again, we’re not sure.
The smartphone is also expected to sell in the price band of $699 to $1,100 depending on the specs you choose.
Obviously, for heavy users there will be a top-end 8 GB RAM version with 512 GB memory, so that’s going to pack quite a punch in terms of multi-tasking performance as well as on-board memory. 512 GB of memory is what most laptops used to come with until very recently. That’s the model Microsoft will try and push into the hands of corporate employees as an all-in-one productivity tool on the move.
We know that it’s very likely to come with a Snapdragon 830 processor. Qualcomm might actually power the Google Pixel smartphone with their Snapdragon 821 processor, but both the 821 and 830 are expected to be able to support virtual reality applications – something that Microsoft is sure to want on such a critical product launch as the Surface Phone. Earlier, it was expected that the Surface Phone would feature Intel’s new Kaby Lake processor, but the signs now point to Microsoft going with the Qualcomm option.
The latest rumor is that it may even come with a Surface Pen included in the box. That might be for the high-end model only, but we’re not sure at this point. What we do know is that with these kinds of specs, Microsoft is clearly aiming at the enterprise market. Small and large companies alike will find this to be a very productive device that will enable employees to practically take their office with them wherever they go.
And, of course, it will come pre-loaded with Windows 10 Mobile, which means all the Universal Apps they’ve been developing will be on there, not to mention most of the productivity apps like Office, Skype, possibly Yammer and so on.
And having the Windows 10 platform, compatibility with other Surface devices as well as Microsoft’s core Software-as-a-Service offerings will be a given.
The only things that point away from an October release at this point are two key components that aren’t released yet. One is the Kaby Lake processor from Intel and Microsoft’s own Windows Redstone 2 update, both of which aren’t scheduled for release until early to mid 2017.
But if Microsoft does pull off the impossible and launch the Surface Phone this year, that’ll be three key products right in the middle of the holiday season. The Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2 are also rumored to be released in October.
So far there’s nothing on Microsoft’s official schedule showing a major event in October, but it seems Microsoft is being as secretive as Apple about the launch of what could be its second attempt into the world of mobile devices.
At this point its a 50-50 chance that we’ll see the Surface Phone any time this year, but if we hear anything on the vine you’ll be the first to know.
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