The upcoming Microsoft Surface Phone is set to be the company’s most interactive handset ever, if at all the latest reports are to be believed.
Rumors surrounding the much-awaited Surface Phone claim that the device could join Samsung’s Galaxy Note series in shipping with a stylus on board so that users can get more hands-on with it. This is not just the only feature that Microsoft may borrow from the likes of Samsung and even Apple, if these rumors are to be believed.
According to Patently Mobile, the Windows OS maker has filed a patent for a device that looks very similar to past Microsoft Lumia phones, but there is one unique addition to the overall design – a hole or rather circular port that fits the description of a stylus that Microsoft will call Surface Pen. Launched together with the Surface Pro 3 back in 2014, the Surface Pen will allow users of the upcoming Microsoft Surface Phone to draw, write as well as interact with the phone in more advanced ways than using fingers.
The supposed Microsoft Surface Phone patent doesn’t end with the Surface Pen feature. Apparently, the new phone will also come without a physical home button, much like what you see on quite a number of Android phones, including the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. In addition, Microsoft is also expected to ditch the microUSB port in favor of USB Type-C connectivity, something that could also mean the phone drops the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack.
Until now, Microsoft has not said a thing regarding the new discovery, but given the source of the report, it is possible that we could see a Surface Phone with all or some of these features. Samsung and Apple have lots of patents that they file every now and then, but many of them never come to materialize – who knows, this could be one of those occasions where the patents don’t materialize. Nonetheless, CEO Satya Nadella spoke of an “ultimate mobile device” that is in the making, something that left fans of the Surface Phone hopeful that indeed this was what he was talking about.
Other rumors of the Surface Phone suggest that the handset will ship with a Snapdragon 835 SoC on board paired with a RAM of up to 6GB and storage of 256GB, but there could be lower end variants with slightly weaker specs. The handset will be powered by Windows 10 Mobile out of the box and Continuum will also be part of it so as to ensure that the same PC experience is carried over to the phone.
Users of the Surface Phone will also be able to connect it to peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard, and even a larger display unit so as to operate the handset as a PC with apps such as Office 2016, among others. If anything, Microsoft is not after competing with Android and iOS for the mobile market, rather, the company is aiming at bringing productivity to the mobile world, something current players have been unable to deliver.