There are arguably three handhelds that are going to take the tech world by storm this year: Apple's iPhone 8, Samsung's Galaxy S8 and Microsoft's Surface Phone. Each unit has its own thing going for it, but the last of the three has time going for it. At least, several publications have claimed that it might be unveiled next month at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona.
Despite not currently having a heavy hand in the mobile industry, Microsoft has confirmed its attendance at the MWC. And as noted by Windows Report, the company has even put up a website, which allows MWC visitors to arrange meetings during the event. Of course, what the Redmond tech giant has planned for those days are still unknown, but the general thinking is that the Surface Phone will finally be revealed.
The MWC will undoubtedly be a good platform to showcase the Surface Phone for the first time. Several tech companies have taken advantage of the event for the exact same reason in the past. So it is a possibility that Microsoft will follow suit - but would the tech giant jump over the opportunity to create its own event and make a big reveal for the first smartphone under its exceptionally popular Surface line?
Probably not, but there is another reason why the Surface Phone might not make it to the MWC 2017. That is, that the device is simply not ready. Microsoft's Satya Nadella has already claimed that it will be a mobile device unlike any other. He described it as the "ultimate" handheld. The company is sure to to take its time to deliver.
But this leaves the question of what the tech giant will do at the highly publicized event on February 27 to March 2. As Forbes notes, it is more likely that the company is there to support one of its long-standing partners in hardware. The HP Elite X3 is powered by Windows 10 and has generally been positively received. It is possible that Microsoft will be there as support, or to stand behind its mobile software.
It is also possible that Microsoft will also discuss some things about an upcoming update. The publication claims that an update will be coming in the latter half of 2017. The update, which will be called Redstone 3, will be third development made to Windows 10. It is at this point that the Surface Phone is more likely to be released.
Partnering up the update - essentially the latest software - with the Surface Phone, the ultimate handheld device, is a logical choice. However, this pushes back the release to beyond July, which may or may not be a good move. On the one hand, this will allow Microsoft to prepare its own unveiling event, but on the other, it will put the unit in direct competition with at least the iPhone 8, which is expected sometime in September.
There is very little doubt that the Surface Phone will be released within the year, but the exact date is still up for debate. Microsoft has several ways in which to go about the same and the public will be watching out with eager ears and eyes.
