Microsoft Surface Phone (Photo : Twitter / XboxMAD)
Rumors have it that Microsoft is cooking up a game-changer with the Surface Phone, which when realized would be an ultimate mobile device, according to company CEO Satya Nadella. However, Samsung appears working on a plan to spoil the upcoming Surface Phone party with the rumored 7-inch Android tablet that when folded will transform into a fully functional smartphone.
To be clear, there is no confirmation from Samsung that such a device is in the works and will be released soon but the tease offered by a YouTube clip (can be viewed below) is sufficiently compelling. It peddles the idea of a powerful computing device that is gorgeous enough to draw attention, and portable at the same time that it will easily slide on the pocket when not in use.
The device, in fact, when not utilized as a tablet doubles as a very capable and attention-grabbing smartphone, as shown in the same video provided by YouTube channel Shanl 4U Hi Tech.
And the proposition makes sense, according to Windows Central, that the device could potentially kill the still unconfirmed Surface Phone. The idea of a Windows 10-powered mobile device that is chiefly designed as a phone but with desktop functionalities seems a hard act to beat or to follow.
As the same report has explained, leaked details on the Surface Phone seem to picture a handset that one can rely on for many things and that's mainly due to Continuum or the Windows 10 feature that will allow the use of the device as a desktop when connected to television or monitor. And further enhancing the feature was the confirmation from Qualcomm that upcoming Windows 10 devices will get the new Snapdragon 835 as main engine. So the chance is high that among these SD 835-powered Windows 10 mobile handsets will be the Surface Phone.
When pitted against each other, it seems obvious that Surface Phone is the more superior bet. One key advantage is that "a foldable ultimate mobile device on Microsoft's unified platform offers some advantages over an Android offering," Windows Central said. Moreover, the UWP apps will surely favor the Windows environment since the feature will deliver real desktop functionalities in a mobile device whereas what Samsung can with an Android foldable phone is at best mere projection of a desktop setting.
Yet there is one thing that works in favor of Samsung. Its proven track record in the mobile device market - bold and impressive enough to produce the Galaxy Note phablet series - could be the deciding that will beat Microsoft to its game.
It all boils down to "first come, first serve," according to Windows Central and to be sure Samsung has the courage and wherewithal to design and mass produce its own version of an ultimate mobile device way ahead of the Microsoft Surface Phone that the latter could be rendered irrelevant by the time comes out. And that would be an early 2018 release date, if rumors will prove correct.
