Microsoft Surface Phone release date, specs news: Flagship delayed to 2017?; 8 GB RAM, QWERTY keyboard hinted

Users will have to wait a bit longer before they see Microsoft return to the smartphone business with the Microsoft Surface Phone. The latest reports claim that instead of coming out this year, the release was moved to spring next year, but for a good reason.

Microsoft will reportedly wait for the Redstone 2, the next Windows 10 update that should give the company from Redmond more features to play with on the Microsoft Surface Phone. This will also allow Microsoft to use new-generation hardware on the smartphone.

With regard to the features already planned for the Microsoft Surface Phone, a tech insider by the name Nokibar claims the flagship will sport a built-in QWERTY keyboard complete with a kickstand.

With it, the Microsoft Surface Phone should be able to transform into a Surface Pro-style device. After all, it already has the look of the popular laplet from Microsoft, at least based on the leaked image provided by Nokibar.

The same tipster claims that the handset will come with a 5.7-inch 2K display and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor. Nokibar also corroborates the report about Microsoft's plan to wait for Redstone 2 before it launches the Surface Phone.

In another leak by Mobipicker, the Microsoft Surface Phone will reportedly have three variants. The low-end model comes with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. A more premium version will allegedly boast of 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

None of those already-beastly models will compare to the Microsoft Surface Phone's most superior edition, which allegedly comes equipped with 8 GB of RAM and 500 GB of storage. Some media outlets suggest this might be too outrageous to happen despite the possibility.

However, nothing won't stop Microsoft if it yearns to return to the smartphone world with a bang. To top it all off, the Microsoft Surface Phone is reportedly getting a 20-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera.

If these leaks are accurate, the competition will definitely have something to fear in the Microsoft Surface Phone when it releases in spring next year.