The Microsoft Surface mini has been kicking around as an unsubstantiated tech rumour for quite some time now. And a new report has surfaced (sorry) alleging Microsoft has indeed made one. It just isn't sure about selling it yet.
The report in question comes from Brad Sams over at neowin who says, perhaps unsurprisngly, that the Microsoft Surface mini looks like a Surface Pro 3 but smaller.
Unfortunately, Sams says he wasn't allowed to take any pictures of the device. But it's the detail he goes into that gives his report a whiff of authenticity.
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He says the Surface mini packed a Qualcomm processor, 1GB of RAM, Windows RT 8.1 and a microSD card slot and used a pen, the same as the Surface Pro 3. It also featured OneNote integration.
Additionally, Sams says that Microsoft developed Type Cover-like cases for the device with a built-in kickstand and loop for holding the pen. Although lack of space mean there was no QWERTY keyboard.
"The bezel size is large enough to have a full size Windows button, exactly like the Pro 3 at the bottom; at the top, there is a front facing camera with roughly the same size bezel," says Sams.
"It does make the device look a bit odd since the bezel is so large but it does make sense if you are holding the device so your thumbs don't cover the screen."
Sounds good to us, especially given how fond we are of Apple's Retine iPad mini. It's just a shame that Microsoft decided to kill its announcement of the device at its Surface Pro 3 event earlier this year.
That's not to say the Microsoft Surface mini will never see the light of day, but at least for the moment, it's laying dormant.
- Want to save size on your tablet? Check out our iPad Mini with Retina Display review
