Now that Samsung and Apple have introduced their flagship smartphones, gadget enthusiasts are now looking forward to what Microsoft will be pulling out. There has been much hype about the upcoming Microsoft Surface Phone 2016, which is rumored to launch this month.

According to reports, the highly anticipated Microsoft Surface Phone may be unveiled this October at an exclusive event where the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2 are expected to be launched as well. However, the Redmond-based company remains tight-lipped about these rumors. Also, there is a possibility that users will be able to get their hands on the newest smartphone sometime in the first quarter of 2017.

Apparently, Microsoft has been preparing for quite some time, in order to come up with its best phone yet that could measure up to the market's two giant smartphone makers — Samsung and Apple.

As for the specs of the Surface Phone 2016, there are reports speculating that the device may be boasting a one-of-a-kind fingerprint sensor on the screen display of the phone itself. This rumor surfaced after the tech giant filed for "Fingerprint Detection with Transparent cover" patent in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The patent reveals that the fingerprint sensor can be placed underneath the phone's display.

Aside from the sensor, the phone may also come in three different variants depending on the RAM and the internal storage. The starter variant comes with a 3 GB of RAM, while the midrange gets a 6 GB of RAM. The high-end variant, on the other hand, may come with an 8 GB of RAM matched with a 512 GB of internal storage.

Apart from the RAM and storage capacity combo, the phone may be powered by Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 830 processing chip or Intel's newest Kaby Lake chipset. Fresh from the box, it will run on the Windows 10 mobile OS. It may also get a 5.7-inch AMOLED display, a 21-megapixel rear camera, and a USB Type-C port.

More details on the Microsoft Surface Phone 2016 may soon be announced.