Surface Phone: New images show discarded Microsoft prototype

It’s an open secret that Microsoft was working on a Windows Phone smartphone long before the Surface Duo. Now images of a prototype from 2014 have emerged. The device shows what would have been possible without the Nokia takeover.

A look into the smartphone past

In 2014, Microsoft was about to launch its own smartphone under the Surface brand; there have been rumors about this for a long time, and you could say that this has been de facto confirmed. Recently published images now show a prototype that is said to have been developed under the code name Raven. The device ran an early version of the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. The smartphone featured a 720p resolution screen, which was an industry standard at the time. There was probably a processor from Qualcomm working under the hood, but its exact specifications are unknown and remain unknown for the time being. On the outside there were physical navigation buttons, a shutter button for the camera and a classic headphone jack.

A micro USB port was used to charge the battery. The silver-colored metal housing had a visible Microsoft logo on the back and was closely based on the design language of the Surface.

The end due to the Nokia takeover

As Windows Central reported, the device was probably one of many internal concepts, so you certainly can’t speak of “the one” Surface Phone. The reason for the early end of the project was probably the takeover of Nokia’s mobile communications division in September 2013. Microsoft subsequently concentrated on the established Lumia model series.

There are also reports that the company was working on a special Skype phone at the time. The concept stipulated that calls and messages should be processed primarily via the Internet connection and the Skype software instead of using classic mobile networks. It remains unclear whether the prototype that emerged was part of the project. In any case, the software basis shows that the device should be deeply integrated into the company’s ecosystem at the time. However, plans for a standalone Surface Phone were discontinued after the Nokia integration.

The late successor Surface Duo

It was only in 2020 that Microsoft dared to return to the smartphone market with the Surface Duo. The device relied on two screens and the Android operating system. While the approach offered new opportunities for multitasking, it also came with disadvantages. Optimized software and a high-quality camera were missing. The concept that has now emerged from 2014 shows a classic approach. However, a regular smartphone with Surface design was never realized as a finished product for the mass market. Would you have given the classic Surface Phone a chance back then or was the end due to the Nokia takeover the right decision? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments below.