Sources close to Windows Central suggest that Microsoft is planning on an April 2017 launch for the long awaited Surface Phone. The phone’s launch would coincide with the release of the Windows 10 Redstone 2 update.
Microsoft has been in a retrenching of sorts when it comes to Windows Phone and Terry Myerson stated in an earlier email that they are committed developing next-generation devices. It appears that the Surface Phone will be positioned as the “most secure phone in the world” and also “the best phone for productivity”. With Continuum, the phone will undoubtedly be the most productive phone on the market, simply because it transforms the phone into a PC with minimal effort. It will be interesting to see what security features are designed for the phone. Windows Hello is an awesome feature and it works extremely well, so I could see it being an important feature.
The first Redstone update is slated for this Summer as the ‘Anniversary’ update for Windows 10. It appears to be mainly focused on the PC. We’ve known for a long time that Redstone had been broken up into multiple pieces and that the second piece would be released with a hardware refresh for Windows 10 devices. Windows Central is reporting that Redstone 2 will focus on the mobile side of things and be released with the Surface Phone.
Another interesting part of the Windows Central article is the suggestion that there will be a Redstone 3 update. We currently do not know when it would release, or even what will be included.
I for one am extremely for the Surface Phone and I can’t wait to see what the team led by Panos Panay can accomplish. It is an exciting time to be a Microsoft fan and the future looks to be bright for Windows Phone. What do you think about the rumors? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Windows Central
Jonathan was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 57 articles across opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @jtainsworth13.