The Surface Phone has been fueling rumor mills for years, with little to no confirmation on Microsoft’s side. This status quo has now changed, with the brand’s CEO Satya Nadella telling MarketPlace’s Make Me Smart podcast that it plans to make more handsets in the future.
Nadella then specified that the devices may not look like the phones that are around nowadays. This could hint at pretty exciting Surface Phone, perhaps a blend of computers and smartphones with a dash of augmented reality courtesy its HoloLens headset.
Nadella had previously stated that Microsoft would continue to be in the phone market. However, instead of following the blueprint of today’s market leaders, it would develop something that is unique to the company and would function as the ultimate mobile device.
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Both statements combined indicate that Microsoft is definitely exploring a comeback to the handset business with some kind of super phone, perhaps this year or the next. It may or may not come under the Surface portfolio of hardware which currently covers hybrid 2-in-1s, laptops, all-in-one PCs, and tablets.
The Surface series may see a new member on May 23 when Microsoft is hosting an event in Shanghai. The smart money is on a Surface Pro 5, given the fact that the slate lineup hasn’t seen a refresh since 2015. The firm itself is being pretty vague, only revealing that it’s planning to ‘show the world what’s next.’
The only reason we know that it’s a Surface-focused event is because Microsoft’s vice president of devices Panos Panay tweeted about it and added the hashtag #Surface to his post.