Surface Phone / Panos' Phone Wishlist

[ayngling]

I would like to see it have:

• Surface dock connector, so I can use the docks I already have at work and at home.
• A new surface dock (that works with all devices in the surface lineup) with a discrete GPU, just like in the base of the Surface Book (or the Alienware Graphics Amplifier). (If RAM can also be dynamically added to Windows 10, having that in the dock would be a plus.)
• Intel processor able to run any windows desktop app, at least while connected to a dock (so could rely on extra processing in the dock).
• Relatively small size, I want it to fit in a pocket. Preferably no bigger than the Lumia 950, but I'll take what I can get.
• Removable battery (being able to swap battery without powering down if connected to a charger would be awesome).
• Laptop accessory, like the Motorola Atrix, for the times I need to travel outside the home/office.
• A physical keyboard, like a BlackBerry (or at least like the Xbox Chatpad), but I know this one is a pipe dream.
• A flagship camera (no worse than the competiton)
• Dual-SIM variant.

 

[EMINENT 1]

SURFACE PHONE - "The Ultimate Phone"

Dear Microsoft,
.

Holy massive wall of text.

 

[CygnusOrion]

Seems to be a mono-mania in this forum about having 6" phones. I guess if you want Microsoft to finally quit mobile for good, releasing a 6" Surface Phone will do the trick.

 

[Aldrich Uyliong]

Seems to be a mono-mania in this forum about having 6" phones. I guess if you want Microsoft to finally quit mobile for good, releasing a 6" Surface Phone will do the trick.

That's because any Lumia 1520 user knows that if you cut down the bezels on a 6in screen to near nothing you end up with a phone that's smaller and handier than you may think. Also, like it or not, phablets are all the rage. People mostly use their smartphones for media consumption, apart from apps, hence a bigger screen with more breathing room is far more ideal.

 

[Aldrich Uyliong]

I'd like to throw a curve ball in this thread. How do you think Microsoft should position the Surface/Panos phone in its lineup?

Personally, I think Microsoft should imitate Ferrari's business model where they have three cars they regularly sell: 488 GTB (low end), FF (mid range) and F12 Berlinetta (flagship) then every now and then make a super special edition unicorn that acts as the halo for the entire brand (288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari). However I don't think Microsoft should wait as long as Ferrari does (a decade) to release that unicorn. Instead, I could see the Surface/Panos phone coming out every year but in limited quantities to act as both a halo phone for the rest of the range and as a design reference. If they did that I think it MS could generate the sort of frenzied buying spree for the phone as when Apple launches a new iPhone.

 

[Ten Four]

Also, like it or not, phablets are all the rage. People mostly use their smartphones for media consumption, apart from apps, hence a bigger screen with more breathing room is far more ideal.

Umm, no. The most popular screen size around the world is 4.7 inch. Apple is coming out with a new 4 incher in the spring. One-fifth of shoppers said they would prefer a 4-inch phone. Some wonder why Apple is so dominant and I would argue that one reason is they haven't abandoned the most popular phone sizes, as have so many companies.

 

[Aldrich Uyliong]

Umm, no. The most popular screen size around the world is 4.7 inch. Apple is coming out with a new 4 incher in the spring. One-fifth of shoppers said they would prefer a 4-inch phone. Some wonder why Apple is so dominant and I would argue that one reason is they haven't abandoned the most popular phone sizes, as have so many companies.

Funny the HTC One X and HTC One both had 4.7 inch screens and both sold like ****. The iPhone is dominant simply because of the Apple logo on the back. Also, are you honestly telling us MS should copy Apple? They tried doing that during the Ballmer era and look what happened.

 

[Ten Four]

Also, are you honestly telling us MS should copy Apple? They tried doing that during the Ballmer era and look what happened.

Size has nothing to do with copying. If that were the case then going big and bigger means they are just copying Android makers. It's just a basic design choice, but from there you can do a lot of different things. For example, I would argue that if you have Continuum you don't need a big phone. Optimize the phone for the mobile experience, then when you need a bigger screen plug it in and use a real monitor and keyboard. If MS wants to make an enterprise phone they need to make it a "mobile" phone. Nobody is using their phones in business for media consumption, unless they're slacking. They are all working on at least laptops and often on desktops with additional monitors. It would be silly to try to use your phone for that. When you do use your phone it is to stay in touch, answer important messages, manage appointments, etc. Sure, there may be special use business scenarios where large phones make sense, but I have yet to see them used that way and I just spent two weeks on the road going to conferences, meeting with people, visiting clients, etc. Whenever any real work needed to get done out came the laptops, which we all had in our briefcases. However, I was using my phone constantly, often in one hand, to call people, text appointments, check the calendar, check flights, find a map, get directions, etc. A phablet would have been useless in that scenario. Keep the Surface Phone a mobile phone!

 

[Ruster Kat]

Make the casing out of osmium to give it some weight. Or better yet get rid of the case. Make a clear phone that allows reality augmentation like the holo-lens.

I love the weight of my 920... but LOL. Os at ~$380/oz and practically impossible to fab on a mass production scale.

 

[Attic Muse]

I really like this concept folder to become a Surface tablet. It'd be a game changer. Have a dock with a discrete cpu and detachable big screen for Miracasting Continuum and these would sell like hotcakes.

Wow, that is one of the best concept devices I've seen in ages. Tired of those stupid ones that simply make a metal rectangle and say it's a design for a Surface Phone. God forbid Microsoft just makes a metal Lumia and calls it a day. Not to knock the Lumia line though, I have a 925 and would get a 950XL if I had the cash. I just think that the so-called Surface Phone needs to be a game-changer, it needs to create a new category and then dominate it. Their motto needs to be, "If you can't beat 'em, change the rules." I have a first gen Surface Pro, and it's flawed as hell, but it's the best device I've ever owned and has been a fantastic computer for university. Sure it took them a few generations to really get market saturation, but now I see Surface (Pro) 3's very frequently around campus, and even Apple is trying to catch up and compete with that joke of an iPad Pro. If they can bring that same spirit and ingenuity to this device, I think they stand a real good chance at getting a foothold in the mobile market. But only if they change the rules, creating a new category and making it an unfair fight in their advantage. If they continue to release devices that are simply "me too!" phones, their current standing will never change, because as good as the 950 line is, it's more or less equivalent to the competition's flagships, and we don't need equivalent, we need better.

 

[Ten Four]

In terms of materials, why does it have to be metal? How about some premium type of composite with carbon fiber? Metal and glass is really silly on a phone when you want something that is light, strong, can survive drops, doesn't block the signal, feels comfortable to hold, etc. Metal phones are about style--not substance.

 

[Omer Gokduman]

I agree since iPhones have poor antenna performance because they're made of aluminum.In my opinion polycarbonate Is light and reasonably strong. And my question is why Microsoft doesn't make a polycarbonate bodied surface which might bring the cost down and we might see cheap surface tablets. I mean aluminum is useless for a phone material in terms of chassis production.

 

[Aldrich Uyliong]

In terms of materials, why does it have to be metal? How about some premium type of composite with carbon fiber? Metal and glass is really silly on a phone when you want something that is light, strong, can survive drops, doesn't block the signal, feels comfortable to hold, etc. Metal phones are about style--not substance.

Carbon Fiber is still prohibitively expensive. Magnesium, oth, is relatively cheaper. It is also lighter and more durable than aluminum.

Also to most smartphone buyers, esp thanks to the annual upgrade cycle we have all gotten used to, style is about as substantial as it gets. Why bother with a phone than can survive a nuclear war when a newer, faster, better one with more pixels, less bezels and quicker fingerprint scanner is just around the corner?

 

[Aldrich Uyliong]

I agree since iPhones have poor antenna performance because they're made of aluminum.In my opinion polycarbonate Is light and reasonably strong. And my question is why Microsoft doesn't make a polycarbonate bodied surface which might bring the cost down and we might see cheap surface tablets. I mean aluminum is useless for a phone material in terms of chassis production.��

It took the magnesium bodied surface tablets several generations to become the legitimately desired and sales behemoth device it is now. Had they made it out of polycarbonate, it would never have happened.

 

[Dush Ku]

Zero blue screens

 

[lerimer]

The Lumia 1520 has to-date been my most favorite device. I can assure you that I'm not the only person out there that feels the same way.

 

[Aldrich Uyliong]

The Lumia 1520 has to-date been my most favorite device. I can assure you that I'm not the only person out there that feels the same way.

I'm with you on that. I'm only 5'5. I'm not large by any means but she is handier than one expects.

 

[aengmar]

That's exactly what I've been wanting.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[ClixT]

6" Surface Phone with Windows 10 Pro 64 bit, not the mobile phone OS. If you think about it, the phone and messaging app already exists in desktop Win 10! Plus Windows 10 Pro runs on every screen size(?) (correct me if I'm wrong).. I'm sure they'll just tweak the tablet mode to make it fit a phone's screen. Design wise, I would like it to look like the top part of the Surface Book.

 

[trekster]

This thread has been awe-inspiring. Note: awe-inspiring is not necessarily a good thing.

The degree of unrealistic fantasizing that's going on is amazing.

I'm just going to say:

• 5.7-inch screen
• digitizer pen (my Note 3 has it, full digitizer with pressure sensitivity)
• 5000mAH battery (this forces a certain minimum thickness which I'm ok with; phones are anorexically thin for no good reason these days)
• powerful processor (Snapdragon 820 or its successor)
• Windows 10 Mobile with modest common sense UI improvements (not, specifically NOT x86 compatibility--why would you want the baggage, bloat and vulnerabilites of x86 Windows)
• rugged design. Can survive drops. Weather-resistant (doesn't have to be fully waterproof).
• Minimize the "minimalism". Have a hardware Home/Windows button and while you're at it, hardware "back" and "search" buttons; use the wasted screen real estate taken by the current soft buttons for actual screen display. Keep the dedicated camera button.
• Powerful reception (it's supposed to be a PHONE)
• This is outside of "Surface Phone" but work on, bribe, buy-out software developers to shrink the app gap.
• Keep price reasonable. Microsoft needs to improve market share. Unlike a startup, they have the cash to buy marketshare. Imagine, if I can, just once in this thread, fantasize: a Surface phone for $399. Yes, Microsoft will lose lots of money on each phone. But users aren't going to simply abandon Android and Apple phones for any amount of techie or gizmo-related reasons. Cell phones are commodity items now. You have to compete with price.

That's about it. The 950XL is close to a great phone. Just improve a few things to make it truly great and people will come.