Microsoft Surface Phone set for IFA announcement next week

Release may coincide with Windows 10 “Redstone 2” build

This year’s IFA conference in Berlin may include an official announcement from Microsoft regarding its second-generation smartphone lineup, the Surface Phone series.

The devices are expected to replace the current Lumia 950 and 950 XL devices from November 2015 and will feature a significant design overhaul coupled with a more stable Windows 10 Mobile experience, according to new reports.

The Surface Phone has been a long-time project in Microsoft’s enterprise portfolio, and according to hints from Corporate VP Kevin Gallo made earlier this year during a Build Tour in London, it will be a product line primarily aimed toward the business market. The company says it does not intend to give market share to its competitors in this space without offering a redesigned, compelling product opportunity.

The device is reported to come in three options, according to a Weibo post from July – entry-level with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, mid-range with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and a larger unit with 8GB of RAM and 500GB of storage.

Image source: Baidu

Back in May, a Baidu user posted an image claiming to be one of Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Phone devices. If the design is confirmed, the phone will look noticeably different than the company’s current Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL devices. As some have pointed out, the same Baidu user had previously surfaced images of the aforementioned devices prior to their announcements in October 2015.

At least one model with 5.5-inch or larger AMOLED display

While we certainly hope Microsoft will differentiate its product line with both smaller and larger screen sizes, two lines of information have been presented so far regarding display sizes. One suggests that at least one Surface Phone unit will feature a 5.5-inch AMOLED display, while the Baidu post claims it will be a 5.7-inch display. Regardless, we expect the company will clarify product specifications in just a few days during the IFA announcement.

Either a Snapdragon or Intel processor

There are also three conflicting reports about the device’s processor, claimed to be either a Snapdragon 821, Snapdragon 830 or Intel Atom 64-bit CPU (as Apollo Lake). The cameras are also a source of interest, with some reports saying the device will feature a 21-megapixel Carl Zeiss rear-facing camera with triple LED flash, and an 8-megapixel wide-angle, front-facing camera as well. The devices are also set to include a USB Type-C port for charging and connectivity.

Just like the company’s current Windows 10 Mobile devices, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL, the Surface Phone lineup will fully support Continuum, a feature that seamlessly emulates the Windows 10 desktop, notebook and tablet experience. Continuum for smartphones allows a user to turn the smartphone into an experience similar to a larger PC by connecting an external display, keyboard and mouse through the Microsoft Display Dock.

There is a slight difference between the standard Windows 10 experience and that of a smartphone device connected to a larger display. Instead of seeing the full Start Menu, a Continuum-connected smartphone user will instead see the Start screen from Windows 10 Mobile with a less feature-rich Start Menu only featuring mobile-optimized Live Tiles rather than Settings, Power options and other shortcuts.

Release may coincide with Windows 10 “Redstone 2”

The latest information on the web suggests a release date sometime in Spring 2017, so it is possible that Microsoft will announce the phones at IFA and debut them during the company’s Build developer conference in April. The timing fits during the first quarter of next year and coincides with the release of new Windows 10 build, codenamed “Redstone 2,” set for release in the same timeframe.

The company is also said to be ditching its Lumia brand in favor of the in-house Surface lineup, yet the main reason for the delay is to give Windows developers some time to release a strong product and “something to disrupt the market,” according to Windows Central and other outlets.

Pricing information has yet to be revealed, but some have suggested the entry-level device could release for $ 699 while the top-tier model could retail for $ 1,099 based on configuration.