Microsoft delays its Surface Phone to 2017

Developing a new category of phones is not an easy task and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. That said, even though you might’ve been expecting a new release from Microsoft, it turns out that you have to be patient for another year. Unfortunately, Microsoft has delayed the Surface Phone to 2017.

While there isn’t an official statement from Microsoft, Windows Central blogger Daniel Rubino recently stated that the Surface Phone ‘won’t see the light of day until sometime in 2017’. Apparently, Microsoft isn’t willing to invest in new hardware any time soon — at least not until all its planned software projects are near completion. Ultimately, though, that’s not a bad thing: the Surface Phone is supposed to be a game-changing device trying to capture the spirit of the original 2-in-1 Surface Pro release.

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With the Surface Phone, we don’t expect an upgraded version of an existing device (like with Samsung and their Galaxy S lineup) but rather an entirely new smartphone taking aim at a new category of customers. In fact, Daniel Rubino claimed that Microsoft plans to launch three versions of the Surface Phone: Consumer, Business, and Prosumer/Enthusiast, dedicated to the three types of users Microsoft wants to target. In this way, the Surface Phone can be more easily marketed depending on its target audience.

Of course, this delay doesn’t mean other OEMs won’t still release new and innovative Windows 10 devices. In the meantime, you’ll be able to choose a better smartphone but it just won’t the Surface Phone – at least not if you’re not willing to wait another year. (Who knows what can happen until then!)

If you are currently searching for a new phone to buy, you might want to check the UMI Touch (which lets you run Windows 10 over Android) or the Lumia 650 which was recently released in the US and in Canada.

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