Microsoft Surface Phone release date is now rumored to be drawing near. It is expected to get announced as early as October as the company has silently axed Lumia category from its online store in the U.S.
Early in August, Microsoft removed the Lumia category link from the front page of the U.S. Microsoft Store. It has been replaced by Education Store, MS Power User reported.
Site visitors who wish to see Lumia device scan directly see them through the drop down in Devices that are present on the top side of the page. It is speculated that Microsoft Lumia category was removed between Aug. 6 to 11, Phone Arena reported.
Another thing to note is that there is no promotion for Windows Phone on the front page of Microsoft Store. However, the U.K. edition of the online store still has category for "All Windows Phone" on the front page.
Lumia Line Axed?
Rumors are swirling from April this year that Microsoft may kill the Lumia lineup. The Lumia series was acquired by Microsoft from Nokia in 2013. However, the Lumia phones have failed to attract buyers. Even the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL flagship phones from 2015 have received lukewarm response.
The Surface branding is already quite popular because of devices like Surface Pro 4, Surface 3 and Surface Book. Microsoft is pegged to use the same branding to penetrate the smartphone market again and disrupt its rivals.
Previous rumors have suggested that the arrival of Surface Phone will result in the axing of Lumia series. Now that the Microsoft Store U.S. has removed Lumia category, the company is pegged to announce Microsoft Surface Phone as early as October.
The upcoming Surface Phone will be sporting premium specs and design. It is expected to arrive in three editions for different audience like general users, prosumer and enterprise. As far as budget phones are concerned, Microsoft will let it OEM partners such as BLU and Alcatel release such phones.
Last year in October, Microsoft had launched Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL smartphones. Hence, fresh reports indicate that the Surface Phone will be showcased in October. Continuum, a feature that lets smartphones running on Windows 10 Mobile OS to function as full-fledged PCs, will be one of its salient features.
Here is a video on the rumored Microsoft Surface Phone specs: