Microsoft Surface Phone release date, news, specs rumors: Leaked render of next Windows 10 flagship handset becomes viral

Microsoft has been successful in launching the Surface family for the past few years. Some of the popular Surface devices in the market today include the hybrid laptop Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and just recently, the all-in-one (AIO) desktop computer, the Surface Studio. However, the Redmond-based tech company has not yet expanded the Surface family to the smartphone category. With this, the speculations are rife that Microsoft will soon release the first ever Surface Phone in the near future.

Amid the rumors of the imminent Surface Phone release, a known tech leaker, Evan Blass, recently provided some leaked images of the supposed Surface handset from Microsoft. Blass teased the device on the leaked renders as the next Windows 10 Mobile concept phone, and fans are quick to speculate that this is none other than the Surface Phone, Yibada reported.

According to Phone Arena, the next Windows 10 flagship handset is powered by an Intel processor. Furthermore, the device is expected to receive a Snapdragon 830 chipset with 8GB RAM. Aside from these details, nothing else is clear on the leaked photos. While Blass presented the Windows smartphone on the leaked images as a concept device, Blass stated that this can be considered as more than just a concept phone, GSM Arena reported.

One of the possible highlights of the Surface Phone is the special Continuum app developed by Microsoft. Continuum will allow the Surface Phone users to connect their device to a larger screen such as a television set or a desktop computer.

Meanwhile, according to International Business Times, the Surface Phone 7 may be released in the early part of 2017. It is rumored that Microsoft will present the Surface Phone at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 to be held this January at Las Vegas, U.S.A.

Microsoft may also unveil the Surface Phone at the Mobile World Congress 2017 at Barcelona, Spain in February. The company is expected to present the Surface Phone as their next big flagship device following the Lumia series. To note, the last model from the series, Lumia 650, was released in February this year, and if the rumors are anything to go by, it will be the last Lumia smartphone before the official unveiling of the Surface Phone next year.