Microsoft is expected to launch the Surface Phone sometime next year, and a new report now claims that the company is ready to start trial production of the device.
Citing Chinese newspaper Commercial Times, Digitimes writes that Microsoft is now working with Pegatron to produce the first units of the Surface Phone for testing purposes. Pegatron is one of Apple’s partners for the production of the iPhone, and it also worked with Microsoft on building the existing Surface models.
The newspaper does not provide any other details about the Surface Phone, but it mentions that the launch is projected to take place in 2017.
Rumor has it that the Surface Phone would debut in the fall of 2017 and the start of trial production seems to align with this schedule, especially because the actual mass production of the device could begin in late spring if everything goes according to plan.
The Surface Phone is expected to be Microsoft’s one and only Windows phone, coming with the best the company would have to offer in terms of software and hardware.
According to recent reports, the Surface Phone could come with a Snapdragon 835 processor, the same that’s likely to power Samsung’s upcoming S8 flagship, but also with a maximum of 8 GB RAM and 512 GB of storage space.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that the Surface Phone could be the pioneer of a new form factor that would make it possible for owners to turn it into a laptop with a new accessory that Microsoft is likely to launch together with the phone.
Although there is no evidence from Microsoft in this regard, such a plan also aligns with the firm’s ambitions to invent new product categories with the help of its Surface products.
As always, take this report with a pinch of salt because nothing is confirmed, but if trial production is about to start, this could be the first step towards Microsoft’s return to the mobile market.
