Microsoft Surface Phone specs rumors, release date news: sources say leaked images appear to be fake

Noriel See Friday, December 30, 2016

The logo of Microsoft is pictured in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, Aug. 8, 2016 | Reuters/Jacky Naegelen

The Microsoft Surface Phone has been rumored for months now, but there has never been any concrete proof that the smartphone exists. So, when sources started saying that leaked images of a Surface Phone prototype have appeared on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, fans were excited. But before the leaks had spread, people started noticing that something was wrong with the photos.

Phone Arena has pointed out that the images are most probably fake because the Carl Zeiss branding hasn't been used since 2013, the year the company decided to switch from Carl Zeiss to ZEISS. Furthermore, the publication also noted that there's a chance that the device shown in the photos may be an older prototype since it looks like a Lumia phone.

Phone Arena has also noted that it was interesting that the alleged leaked came at a time when sources from Taiwan say that original design manufacturer (ODM) Pegatron is ready to begin trial production for the Surface Phone.

Microsoft has yet to announce that it is developing the Surface Phone, but reports still say that it may come out sometime next year. However, sources say the company will not be unveiling the smartphone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) on Feb. 27 to March 2.

Reports also say that buyers may have three different Surface Phone models to choose from. The first one will allegedly have 4GB of random-access memory (RAM) and 128GB of internal storage. The second has 6GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage space, while the third one has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage space, which is quite huge for a phone.

While speaking to the Australian Financial Review (via Forbes) last month, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company would release "the ultimate mobile device" in 2017, and industry insiders believe that he was talking about the Surface Phone.

As of this moment, all reports concerning the smartphone are rumors at best, so readers are advised to take everything with a grain of salt.