Microsoft Surface Phone release date, news: device to be unveiled at MWC 2017?

Janna Dela Cruz Sunday, December 18, 2016

The Microsoft logo is seen as part of a display at the Microsoft Ignite technology conference in Chicago, Illinois, May 4, 2015. | Reuters/Jim Young

Microsoft will be part of the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2017 (MWC 2017), which leads many to think that the long rumored Microsoft Surface Phone will finally make its appearance there.

The Redmond-based tech giant invites fans to "do great things" and join them in the highly anticipated event although it is unclear as to what they will present there.

Some expect that the Microsoft Surface Phone will finally be unveiled at the affair although previous reports suggest that the flagship will not arrive until late next year or early 2018.

Neowin believes that Microsoft's participation at the MWC 2017 will be more on its Surface devices, such as its Pro two-in-one hybrid.

However, Microsoft does have plans with regard to its mobile department. The company is looking to make it possible for its mobile devices, such as the Microsoft Surface Phone, to run desktop applications. This is the glaring limitation of the current version of Windows 10 Mobile, which forces Windows Phone users to look somewhere else to be able to do x86 emulation.

In order to do so, Microsoft teamed up with Qualcomm for some Snapdragon processors that will be able to power future Windows Phones, including the purported Microsoft Surface Phone.

"With full compatibility with the Windows 10 ecosystem, the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform is expected to support mobility to cloud computing and redefine how people will use their compute devices," Qualcomm noted with regard to the partnership.

This prospect could be what Microsoft is preparing to put a spotlight on the Mobile World Congress 2017 rather than the Microsoft Surface Phone.

After all, the reports suggest that it will not arrive anytime soon. There are even doubts about it seeing the light of day. However, the latest buzz suggests that Microsoft has not given up on the Surface Phone just yet.

When it will be out and about remains to be seen for now, but many believe an appearance in Barcelona for the MWC 2017 is unlikely.