Fans will have to wait a bit longer for the rumored Microsoft flagship smartphone, as the Surface Phone will reportedly launch in the latter part of 2017.
According to Phone Arena, although it is likely that Microsoft will hold a press event this month, the supposed launch will focus on the new Surface All In One. Meanwhile, the Surface Phone is not expected to be unveiled until fall next year.
While Microsoft has yet to come out with official details, it is said that the Surface Phone may have been originally intended to be a 2016 release however, Microsoft's supposed third-party partner for the project, Intel, has pulled out from the mobile market. This means that the supposed Intel x86 chipset for the Surface Phone will have to be scrapped. Microsoft has likely gone back to the drawing board, and the release date for the Surface Phone has been adjusted.
Meanwhile, with the trend in recent flagship releases, it is said that going back to the drawing board may be an advantage for the Surface Phone. This means that Microsoft can expand on their flagship series. It is said that one improvement that an adjusted release date brings is that the Surface Phone will launch as a full lineup, with at least three iterations included in the series. Reportedly, as with other flagships, a base model having 4 GB of RAM will be the entry-level model in the series. Since Microsoft is likely to position the Surface Phone as a mobile phablet hybrid, there may also be 6 GB and 8 GB versions of the device.
With Intel now out of the mobile business, it is then expected that Microsoft will likely turn to Qualcomm for its processor needs. This means that the Surface Phone will likely get a step-up Snapdragon chipset, as well as other features like Surface Pen integration.
