A concept of Surface Phone

We have been hearing a lot of rumours about the Surface Phone.

One of the most prominent rumours was that the mythical Surface Phone would be foldable and that it would launch by the end of 2018 or the beginning of 2019. However, a recent report from an Italian site claims that Microsoft’s foldable device will launch sooner than expected.

An Italian site recently posted an article about the project Andromeda, or Surface Phone, as diehard fans would like to call it. The article claims that the device will arrive sooner than expected, which means that it may arrive earlier than the end of this year.

This is great news for fans to rejoice, as Microsoft has publicly announced that they will not provide any new hardware running Windows Phone.

Similarly, Microsoft watcher Zac Bowden claimed the device could arrive sooner than expected, but he later deleted the tweet.

Many patents filed by Microsoft clearly show that the Andromeda device will be foldable. The device is expected to sport Qualcomm’s latest and greatest offering—the Snapdragon 845. Recent processor benchmarks suggest it has a powerful and efficient CPU paired with a much-improved graphics processor.

What can you expect from the rumoured Surface Phone?

Microsoft will likely focus more on battery life as the device is aimed at portability.

Microsoft will design the Andromeda device in line with the other Surface devices. All Surface devices look extremely premium and beautifully crafted, so Andromeda will not be an exception.

We are not sure if the actual display will be bendable, but we are sure that the device as a whole is foldable. No further hints regarding the rest of the hardware are known.

Like all Surface devices, the Surface phone is also expected to be priced exorbitantly. Since the high-end flagship smartphones like the iPhone X and Galaxy Note 8 are priced as high as 1000$, the high price tag of the Andromeda device will not be an issue. We can expect the device to arrive anywhere in the second half of 2018.

Like all rumours, this should also be taken with a grain of salt, but this is not the only report claiming the early arrival of Andromeda.

Microsoft can cancel projects at any point if they feel it is not working as expected, but since we have been hearing reports that Microsoft is working closely with Qualcomm and other partners, it is doubtful that they will cancel the device as a whole.

Microsoft still hasn’t given a hint on the software side of things. Initially, the Andromeda device is expected to run apps only from the Windows store. We hope that it will support Win32 apps in the future. Given that Microsoft’s Build Conference is happening in May, we can expect to see the software’s final version, which is to power Andromeda.

Update: This article was updated with a link to a cached page of the Italian publication, as the original story has been taken down.

About The Author

Abhijith M B

Abhijith was a former contributing editor for Windows Latest. At Windows Latest, he has written on numerous topics, ranging from Windows to Microsoft Edge. Abhijith holds a degree in Bachelor's of Technology, with a strong focus on Electronics and Communications Engineering. His passion for Windows is evident in his journalism journey, including his articles that decoded complex PowerShell scripts.