• Windows Phone Area
• On December 28, 2016

Dare we believe in these photos?

In November, we reported that Pegatron – the company that manufactures the Surface Studio for Microsoft, has been testing the manufacturing process for the upcoming Surface Phone (read more). Now a new leak from China, whose accuracy has not been confirmed, reveals renders of a Microsoft-branded device that carries the ”Surface Phone” name on the back.

These renders may show us an early look, or one of the prototypes of the Surface Phone which is not expected to launch before late 2017 and the Redstone 3 update. The device in the photos looks like a phablet with a size similar to the Lumia 950 XL, and a design close to the Lumia 930 (front) and Lumia 950XL (back).

Microsoft is planning interesting new features for its next smartphones, according to company’s CMO. Instead of competing with other premium brands in the category, Microsoft will only launch a product if it reinvents the category or create a new niche.

Microsoft recently announced that Qualcomm’s ARM processors will be able to run full Windows 10 from 2017. However, the Surface Phone is likely to run the Mobile version on Windows, but support for win32 apps via Continuum could also be on the table for the next year.