The Surface Phone remains as questionable as it has ever been for the past months. Microsoft hasn't confirmed the device yet and no one is sure if it will ever get materialized. However, rumors are quite strong about its development. So although launch dates are still scarce, there are already a lot of things that are known about the Surface device.
Microsoft Surface Phone Concept Analysis, Rumored Specs
It was said that the Surface Phone will be using the Intel Kaby Lake Processor and it will also run Windows 10 Redstone 2. With a set of internals as high end as these, it is easy to conclude that the Surface Phone is pretty much as computer-like as the Surface Pro devices. According to an Inquirer post, the phone could furthermore carry a relatively big RAM size of 4 GB/6 GB/8 GB and an internal storage of 128 GB/256 GB/ 512 GB.
Microsoft Surface Phone Concept Analysis, Keyboard Integration
Basically, the Surface Phone is unlike your regular smartphone. It might practically be a phone version of the Surface Pro. This means that Continuum and keyboard integration is still on the table. But the question that remains is that, "will it work comfortably with a keyboard?"
The fact that the Surface Phone will just be around 6-inch in size, it's hard to imagine how it could be a comfortable screen for a keyboard. According to a Phone Arena report, it's quite difficult to imagine how a smartphone keyboard would fit in in the mobile phone community.
As interesting as the "phone with keyboard" concept may seem like, it's not yet sure if users would embrace using a keyboard on a 6-inch screen. With that said, it looks like the Surface Phone does not necessarily need to come with a keyboard. A kickstand may still be a good idea as well as the Surface Pen. However, a computer-like keyboard integration is still a questionable idea.
Microsoft Surface Phone Concept Analysis, Release Date
A 2017 Surface Phone release is still the most probable thing to happen. Although a lot of rumors also point out to a 2016 release, people need to take note that the rumored internal parts of the Surface Phone won't be released soon. The Surface Phone's updated OS is set for roll out next year and the Intel processor is expected to be launched later this year.
