The rumor mill is buzzing again and its blue-eyed boy seems to be none other than the purported Surface Phone from Microsoft.
Rumors pertaining to the Windows 10 Mobile-powered Surface Phone have been creating quite a bit of stir online in the past few months. Microsoft has allegedly codenamed the impending handset the Panos Phone and the device could possibly replace the company's Lumia lineup, which reports suggest may be phased out.
Now according to a report from Nokia Power User, which is quite reliable when it comes to Windows-powered device news, the upcoming Surface Phone will support Quick Charge 4.0 and house Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 835 processor, which is also said to be powering the impending Samsung Galaxy S8.
The publication cites "trusted sources" who have offered information on the prototypes of the Surface Phone.
Surface Phone Rumors: What's New?
Apart from the news of the Surface Phone housing the powerful Snapdragon 835 CPU and Quick Charge 4.0, the upcoming Microsoft smartphone will allegedly come in two memory options. The company reportedly has two prototypes in the works — one which houses 4 GB of RAM and the other 6 GB of RAM. This contradicts older rumors of the handset touting 8 GB of RAM.
The report reveals that the 6 GB variant will supposedly be able to run X86 apps through Continuum.
"What is most interesting is the information that the one proto with 6 GB RAM can already run X86 apps in Continuum. We have heard a lot about Microsoft working on X86-on-ARM64 emulation and this may be one of the implementations. Sources however tell us that Protos can't run X86 apps by themselves yet, but can install them. Once connected via Continuum you can run any X86 apps," notes the publication.
The 4 GB variant of the Surface Phone, however, will not be able to support this functionality.
The display of the Surface Phone prototype is said to be a 5.5-inch Quad HD one. The handset could also have a 3-in-1 form factor and come with laptop accessories in tow as hinted by previous reports. The Surface Phone could potentially have a stylus pen and a keyboard cover like the Surface Pro tablet.
Release?
The Surface Phone's arrival has been delayed to late 2017 per latest rumors. The handset will come with Windows 10 Mobile Redstone 3 out of the box and not Redstone 2.
Older rumors have also hinted at the Surface Phone packing in support for a fingerprint scanner, a 21 MP primary camera, an 8 MP selfie snapper and have multiple variants. The Surface Phone will allegedly come in a consumer variant (the 5.5-inch screen version) and a business version (6-inch screen option).
It remains to be seen if the much-awaited Microsoft handset will live up to expectations and be a game changer for the company.
