Microsoft's plans for a Surface phone still appear to be happening, but it may be pushed back until early 2017 with their other new Windows 10 devices. There could also be up to three models of the premium flagship.

With Microsoft's Windows 10 Mobile OS continuing to be developed with new builds nearly every two weeks it seems like a good time to wonder what Microsoft's hardware intentions are going forward. Sources close to Microsoft's plans have told me that any 'Surface phone' by Microsoft (see my previous article for more context) won't see the light of day until sometime in 2017. The good news is there could be up to three variants for different pricing tiers and markets. No more Lumias

The current Microsoft strategy when it comes to mobile is still one of retrenchment. Microsoft has pulled back development of the Lumia line, including product cancellations, for presumably a few reasons, including: Windows 10 Mobile is still being developed and improved Let OEM partners have some breathing room to create new hardware Give Microsoft time to come back with a strong product and something to disrupt the market While Windows 10 Mobile has significantly improved with the latest 10586.164 release aka 'production build' the OS still has a way to go before it can be truly competitive in the consumer market. Two major updates – Redstone 1 for summer 2016 (now called the Anniversary Edition) and Redstone 2 for spring 2017 – will bring a lot of polish to the OS as well as new features including deeper integration with Windows 10 for PC. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more Microsoft is also encouraging its OEM partners to get on board with Windows 10 Mobile, and Microsoft's retrenching means the company does not have to compete with those same manufacturers. As it is, the Lumia line still dominates the Windows Phone market with around 97 percent share (AdDuplex, March 2016). Microsoft needs to diversify that market if they want the ecosystem to grow and not be completely propped up by Redmond. As it is now, there are no new Lumias slated for release by Microsoft to my knowledge. In effect, it looks like the Lumia line is being phased out indefinitely. Instead, Microsoft appears to want to start its hardware line over again in 2017 when it has a more robust mobile OS and the right, groundbreaking hardware to make a splash. Presumably, that also means ditching Lumia for an all-new brand. However, Microsoft's exact plans here are currently not known. New Microsoft devices in 2017

If I hazard a guess, it sounds like Microsoft is planning to re-enter the phone space with new hardware at the same time as Windows 10 'Redstone 2.' None of this is particularly new or shocking as Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet recently reported that Redstone 2 has been pushed back to spring 2017 to line up with new Windows 10 devices being launched by the company. That pushback is reportedly due to new hardware being readied and not the OS being behind in development. None of this is particularly new or shocking Mary Jo Foley notes in the same article that Intel's next-gen processor family dubbed 'Kaby Lake' won't be available until the end of 2016 and Microsoft may want to take their time this round of devices to avoid the issues they had with the Skylake family. That means we may not get a Surface Pro 5 or Surface Book 2 until early 2017 as well. A non-pro Surface 4, however, could still happen this year. If my sourcing is correct, we can now add 'Surface phone' in that spring 2017 timeframe as well. From a planning perspective, all of this would bring together one high-profile hardware and software announcement from Microsoft similar to the Windows 10 Devices event in late 2015. That could be fascinating. Three versions?