The Microsoft Surface Phone is anticipated to be the Windows phone that many have wanted all these years. It was earlier rumored to arrive in the second half of this year, but that may not happen. The latest speculations point to an early 2017 release.

According to several reports, the tech juggernaut is planning to use the Windows 10 Redstone 2 update, which is expected to be available sometime next year. The said version will be bringing in more features than the current one, and the phone will reportedly take advantage of the latest hardware.

Another rumored reason for the delay is that its alleged processor, Kaby Lake, reportedly won't enter mass production until later this year.

It is was earlier believed that the Windows phone will be powered by an Atom CPU, however, the chip maker decided to cease its production earlier this year.

Tech Times reported that the alleged phone will have three variants, a 5.5-inch display screen with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space, designed for the casual mobile phone users. The second variant reportedly offers a bigger screen size, expected to be around 6 inches and with business oriented individuals in mind.  It could possibly be loaded with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal space. The third variant is speculated to come with an 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage space and loaded with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor.

HQ Grande Prairie also mentioned a 2K display and a 20MP Carl Zeiss optics-equipped camera. It also reported a slightly different low-end variant, equipped with 3GB RAM and 32GB data space.

The rumored Microsoft Surface Phone will have its own kickstand, an 8MP front-facing camera, a 3,000 mAh battery and may possibly be priced from US$700 up to US$1,200.

For now, it is a wait-and-see game for Windows phone fanatics.