Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has ambitious plans to compete with its two biggest rivals, Apple and Samsung, for an edge in the mobile industry. Instead of launching copycat versions of iPhone and the Galaxy range, Microsoft will focus on providing "specific needs by specific customers."

Microsoft Surface Phone: Probable Release Date

As reported by Forbes, Nadella appeared in an interview with "The Australian Financial Review," where he discussed plans for Microsoft's "most ultimate mobile device." He did not elaborate further, but these vague statements sparked rumors that a Surface phone will be on its way by the second half of 2017.

In addition, TrustedReviews discovered that Microsoft obtained the domain name "surfacephone.com" back in January, although at present, the URL redirects to Microsoft's home page. Following reports that Microsoft will do away with its current "Nokia Lumia" mobile line before 2016 ends, a Surface Phone can very well surface shortly afterwards.

Microsoft Surface Phone: Probable Features

Microsoft's "ultimate mobile device" will supposedly be all-metal, following the sleek designs of tablets and laptops from the Surface range. The phone may also feature three design variants: Consumer Edition, a Business Edition, and Enthusiast Edition. TrustedReviews notes, "The first will be a reasonably priced flagship, the second will be a BlackBerry replacement, and the third will be a power user device, just like Samsung's Galaxy Note phones."

Leaks thus far all point to a 5.7-inch display for all three variants, as well as a 3 GB, 6 GB, and 8 GB RAM, with storage capacity of 32 GB, 128 GB, and 500 GB respectively. It might also be powered by Qualcomm's brand-new Snapdragon 835 chipset and will be running Windows 10.

It remains to be seen whether the Surface phone will materialize; currently, Microsoft is gearing for the release of the newest version of the Surface Pro tablet. As per an article from Jobs & Hire earlier in November, the Surface Pro 5 will hit markets in early 2017.