Microsoft is widely rumored to be working on a Windows 10 Mobile-powered smartphone dubbed the Surface Phone or Panos Phone, which in all likelihood could replace the Lumia smartphone lineup also rumored to be phased out.
The notion of a Surface Phone has generated much excitement in the smartphone community as consumers and tech aficionados eagerly await its arrival, which is anticipated to be either H2 2016 or fall 2017.
While specs and features of the purported Surface Phone have emerged online, we are yet to catch a glimpse of the alleged handset. However, now thanks to Polish designer Bartłomiej Tarnowski, we get a peek into what the Surface Phone could possibly look like.
Tarnowski has shared a concept design of the impending smartphone, basing it on specs and features as well as imbibing some of his own ingenuity and creativity.
The concept design basically reimagines a productive Windows 10 Mobile-powered device that is essentially sans any bezels. The designer has taken a cue from rumors hinting that Microsoft wants the handset to be quite utilitarian and business-oriented.
The images show off a metal casing for the handset and support for Type Cover — like the company's tablet lineup — which will basically make the phone adaptive, converting it to a mini laptop if you please!
The smartphone concept also shows off a nifty stylus, that is, the Surface Pen accompanying the device. There is also a sleek and flat keyboard to accompany it. While the idea is a laudable one, perhaps in execution the screen size could seem limiting.
The concept also shows the Surface Phone's primary camera sporting three LED flashes like the Lumia 950 XL. However, the speaker grills seem to be one too many for our liking. Two can be spotted on the front of the handset and two more on its rear. These many holes, in our opinion, tend to make the handset look a little strange.
The designer does not share the screen size of his Surface Phone concept, but we guesstimate it's around the 6-inch mark since it looks quite massive. The edge-to-edge screen is a winner, and it looks like sensor-based areas are replacing physical buttons on the side of the handset.
An oddity in the concept is that there does not seem to be any storage space for the Surface Pen (like the Galaxy Note 7 has a dedicated slot), so it would be a little difficult carrying the stylus around, and one may lose it easily.
We also did not see any dedicated area for the fingerprint scanner, but if it'd be embedded in the physical display as rumored, then we don't have any problem with that.
Tarnowski's concept of the Surface Phone is quite attractive and offers us an idea on what we could expect from Microsoft in the near term. Check out the images in the gallery and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
