Although Microsoft has yet to confirm the existence of the Surface Phone, it is believed that the Redmond-based company will release the device next year and has enabled it to run Android and iOS apps. 

Rumors about the Surface Phone have been around for quite a while now. However, even if Microsoft has remained mum on whether it really has the device in the pipeline, it is believed that the Surface Phone is already in development and will be released in the market in 2017.

Mobile and Apps opines that it is likely for Microsoft to release a Surface Phone, considering how popular the brand's Surface line is. After all, it has been reported that Microsoft has obtained a surfacephone.com domain name, a clear indication that the device is really in existence and is just waiting to be unveiled.

Furthermore, Microsoft's director for engineering, Laura Butler, has said in an earlier tweet that the "Surface phone is not NOT confirmed." As the second "not" was written in all caps, it is unlikely for the tweet to be a typographical error but was rather intentional. As double negative means affirmative, hence, there may really be a Surface Phone at all.

Meanwhile, as one of the reasons why the Lumia line that Microsoft acquired from Nokia back in 2014 was a failure in the market because of its Windows OS, it is said that the upcoming Surface Phone will have the ability to run Android and iOS apps even if it will still run the Windows 10 OS because of its "bridge solution." In the event that this turns out to be true, it is expected that more consumers will be lured into purchasing the device once it's already out. 

There are also rumors claiming that the Surface Phone will come in three variants based on their RAM. Reportedly, the entry-level variant will come with 4 GB RAM, while the premium variant will boast of an 8 GB RAM and will be powered by Intel's Kaby Lake processor.

However, as the Intel Kaby Lake processor is said to arrive later this year, it may take some months more before Microsoft releases its Surface Phone.