Following the hint by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella that the rumored Surface Phone is already in the works with the release date likely happening in the latter part of 2017, prototypes of the device reportedly leaked out and revealed that the Windows 10 mobile handset will run on Snapdragon 835 SoC with up to 6GB of RAM support.
Microsoft, according to tech blog site NokiaPowerUser, is currently testing two prototypes of the Surface Phone, which the report said will be finalized boasting of 5.5-inch Quad HD display. Firing up the handsets is Qualcomm's next-generation SD 835 that in recent reports was described as the first processor to be produced in 10-nanometer process that promises more mobile computing power with increased efficiency of energy use.
With SD 835 on board, the upcoming Surface Phone is tipped to mighty up with 8-core Kryo 200 CPU and Adreno 540 GPU.
One of the prototypes, the same report said, will top with 6GB of RAM for sufficient support of desktop functionalities. NokiaPowerUser said that this model is able to run X86 apps in Continuum, a built-in feature of Windows 10 that creates a desktop setting on a mobile device when connected with a monitor.
"We have heard a lot about Microsoft working on X86-on-ARM64 emulation and this may be one of the implementations. Sources however tell us that Protos can't run X86 apps by themselves yet, but can install them. Once connected via Continuum you can run any X86 apps," the report said.
The other prototype has also SD 835 as the main engine but with only 4GB of RAM support, indicating that Microsoft has designed the Surface Phone for two key users - the 6GB RAM model will be for enterprise while the one with lower RAM will be for general consumers.
The latter, according to NokiaPowerUser, will run in 64-bit Windows 10 Mobile OS but without Continuum functionality.
While Nadella has talked about the Surface Phone recently, teasing that the device is both unique and a game-changer in the making, he stopped short of revealing the juicy details such as basic specifications and possible release timing.
However, the NokiaPowerUser report is speculating that the Surface Phone release date will happen immediately after the Windows 10 Redstone 3 Update rollout or in the last few months of 2017, and possibly unboxing with the rumored Surface Pro 5.