Microsoft has been hard at work at developing their operating system as well as a surface phone. However, the company's fans might have to wait a bit longer before Microsoft releases its new surface phone.

Microsoft has committed to develop the Windows 10 mobile despite the reported decline of interest on Windows 10 devices. Reports say that Microsoft has only sold 2.3 million Lumia devices compared to the 8.6 million handsets they sold last year.

Despite this, Window Central reported earlier that Microsoft has given the green light to develop the Surface phone. The team tasked to develop this is the same team who built the Surface Pro and Surface Book.

The bad news, however, is the Surface phone is closely connected to the Redstone 2, the Windows 10 update that is slated to be released in April 2017. Given this fact, tech observers predict that the Surface phone will be released after that, specifically during the Microsoft Build 2017.

There are also rumors that the emphasis on security within the Windows ecosystem will also come into play in how the Surface phone features will be built. Moreover, Microsoft is expected to market the new device in accordance with the productivity of the Windows 10 platform.

Panos Panay, Vice President of Surface said that he and his team are considering an all-metal case for the Surface phone.

Since it is part of Microsoft Surface series, tech observers are also predicting that the new device will focus on Continuum. There are previous rumors that the Surface phone will be equipped with a similar industrial design used in the Pro 4 tablet and the Surface Book. 

With these features, fans should also expect that the Surface phone will come with a hefty price tag, just like the Surface Book and the Pro 4 tablet.