(www.microsoft.com)

Microsoft has remained tight-lipped when it comes to the heavily rumored Surface Phone, but several media outlets have already claimed that the upcoming device is set for a 2017 release.

Previously, the Surface Phone was reported to arrive later this year as a competition to the Apple releases. But as stated in some reports, this device's release date has been pushed back to 2017, the same year that the new operating system, Windows Redstone 2, will be made available.

Although no specifics have been provided by the company yet, a new photo from tipster @nokibar was leaked and it showed what the device might look like. No one can confirm if the image released is legitimate since it could be a mere concept of the Surface Phone. However, the photo shows a device that somehow has similar designs as previous Surface models. Although it could be convincing, it's still worth noting that the image should be taken with a pinch of salt.

As reported in Softpedia, the Surface Phone will reportedly sport a 5.7 or 5.8-inch display. More interestingly, the phone is said to come with a keyboard to improve productivity of usage. Paired with a kickstand mode, the Surface Phone will instantly be converted into a mini laptop, as the leaked photo suggested. However, one might immediately think that there's no use for a keyboard when the screen size is that small.

Meanwhile, several sources also claim that the Surface Phone will come in three variants: a base unit believed to be a consumer model; a mid-tier variant for businesses; and a top-tier model or an "enthusiast edition."

The base unit is said to have a 3 GB RAM paired with 32 GB of internal storage. The mid-tier unit will have a 6 GB of RAM paired with 128 GB of internal storage, and the top-tier model will have an 8 GB of RAM with 500 GB storage capacity.

The rumors surrounding the Surface Phone get interesting over time, but it remains to be seen if these reports or leaks are accurate. Microsoft enthusiasts will just have to wait for the company to give official updates.