Feb 11, 2017 08:14 AM EST By Donna Mills, UniversityHerald Reporter

Speculations continue to swirl around the Microsoft Surface Phone. Expectations about the device's internal specs are high, with some reports claiming that it will directly compete with Samsung X.

Three different models are expected for the smartphone. There are beliefs that 5.7-inch models will ship, while other reports claimed that there will be 5.5-inch and 6-inch screen sizes, too. However, there are also sayings that all versions of the Microsoft Surface Phone will ship at 5.7-inch, and the difference will be made on the RAM capacity and internal memory storage.

According to Trusted Reviews, the device will have a model with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB storage and another with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The last version comes with a whopping 8 GB of RAM and 500 GB storage.

It's highly likely that the smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chipset, though it is also possible that it will be equipped with Intel's 14nm Kaby Lake CPU. The latter is a seventh-gen chipset with 200-series processors that provide higher clock speeds.

If the device ships with Snapdragon 835 under its hood, it will either have 40 percent of lower battery consumption or 27 stronger performance. The chipset is Qualcomm's first 10nm processor, which makes it superior from the older 16nm Snapdragon 820.

Putting a Qualcomm chipset in a high-end device further cements Microsoft's partnership with the company. In December, a Microsoft and Qualcomm team-up was announced to integrate the full Windows 10 desktop experience to mobile devices.

Other big features expected for the Microsoft Surface Phone are a 21-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing snapper for selfies and a 3000 mAh battery pack. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the smartphone will stand out among other handsets currently out in the market.

Nadella told the Australian Financial Review that the company is already working on "structural innovation" for their phones that prioritize management, productivity and security. The executive stressed that Microsoft's phones will not be "defined by today's market leaders but by what it is that we can uniquely do in what is the most ultimate mobile device."

Microsoft patented a device with a flexible hinge and display -- a feature that could appear in the Surface Phone. If this turned out to be true, the device will go head-to-head with the Samsung Galaxy X, which is also expected to have a foldable build, ETNews reported.

Microsoft's upcoming smartphone may be announced in Q1 2017, probably at next month's MWC. The device is expected to be released by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

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