Microsoft Surface Phone release date, news & updates: Microsoft giving up on Windows phones?

Jackie Villegas Thursday, November 03, 2016

Panos Panay, Corporate Vice President for Surface Computing holds the new Microsoft Surface Studio computer at a live event in the Manhattan borough of New York City, October 26, 2016. | REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Microsoft fans hoping for news of the long-rumored Surface Phone were left disappointed when the tech giant failed to unveil such a device at its launch event last week.

There wasn't even any mention of the company's Windows 10 Mobile, leaving many to worry about Microsoft's mobile business and the future of the Surface Phone, which many customers have been waiting for since last year.

In a recent interview with ZDnet, Microsoft executive president of Windows and Devices Terry Myerson spoke about Windows Mobile and the company's plans for future mobile devices, saying: "Technically, there are really two things that are unique about Windows Mobile. One is cellular connectivity and the other one is the ARM processors that are there."

"So we're going to continue to invest in ARM and cellular," Myerson said. "And while I'm not saying what type of device, I think we'll see devices there, Windows devices, that use ARM chips. I think we'll see devices that have cellular connectivity," he added.

Because Myerson failed to use the word "phones," many were left speculating that the highly anticipated Surface Phone will never see the light of day and that an ARM-based tablet with cellular connectivity will be launched in its place.

But since Microsoft already has its own tablets, as well as laptops and smartwatches, it still seems likely that the company will release a smartphone to complete their product lineup. If so, PC Advisor UK suggested that a Surface Phone running Windows 10 could soon be unveiled.

The tech blog also said that the Microsoft Surface Phone could have a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with 1,440 x 2,560 pixel resolution, 512 GB of internal storage, and 8 GB of RAM. New reports indicate that it could be powered by the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor and that it will have a 21-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front shooter. It is also expected to come with at least one USB-C port and a smaller Surface Pen.

Microsoft has yet to confirm its plans for the rumored Surface Phone.