Newly leaked prototype images and hands-on video reveal a mysterious unreleased Windows Phone, codenamed Raven, that Microsoft was developing internally between 2013 and 2014 before the Nokia acquisition likely derailed the project and set the stage for the eventual Surface Duo.
The Unseen Prototype Codename Raven
Long before Microsoft entered the dual-screen smartphone market, the technology giant quietly engineered a traditional slab-format mobile device designed to carry its Surface branding. Leaked photographs and a hands-on video surfacing on the web give a rare look at a prototype believed to carry the codename “Raven” from the 2013-2014 time frame.
The unreleased hardware features a flat display flanked by thick bezels at the top and bottom. The bottom chin hosts three capacitive navigation keys for Back, Home, and Search that match the silver aesthetic of the chassis. Around the back, the device showcases a single camera lens accompanied by an LED flash, a microphone, and an embedded Microsoft logo on a back panel that appears to be made of polycarbonate, paired with a metal frame.
First reported by Windows Central, this is likely one of dozens of prototype designs that Microsoft’s hardware teams cooked up during this era, though X user Gustave Monce (@gus33000) noted that the phone was likely not built by the Surface team given that Surface products released around that time featured distinct Surface branding. However, it isn’t disputed that it was developed by Microsoft.
Hardware Specifications and Software Build
Under the hood, the prototype ran an early pre-release build of Windows Phone 8.1. According to internal development branches, the software dates back to September 2013, pointing to a product timeline that was expected to ship in 2014 alongside its Surface Pro device.
Physical controls span all four sides of the chassis. The right edge houses separated up and down volume buttons alongside a dedicated camera button, while the top edge holds the power button and the bottom edge features a micro-USB port and an audio jack. A SIM card slot sits on the left side of the frame.
While initial reports pointed to an unknown Qualcomm processor powering the 720p display, social media posts from Gustave Monce identified the silicon as the Snapdragon 400 processor, the exact same processor that powered the Lumia 830 and the Galaxy S4 Mini. The device also features a silver metal frame that matches the color of the Surface 2 that released that same year.
How the Nokia Acquisition Shelved the Project
The timing of the Raven project aligns closely with a massive corporate shift in Redmond. In September 2013, Microsoft announced its acquisition of Nokia’s Devices and Services business, a strategic move that immediately complicated in-house hardware plans and likely paused development on this device.
Why continue funding an independent smartphone design when acquiring Nokia brought one of the biggest names in the mobile hardware business under its control? Instead of pursuing the Raven concept, Microsoft inherited the existing Lumia pipeline, shipping Nokia designs in the form of the Lumia 640, 650, 950, and 550, alongside models like the Lumia 535 later in 2014, before abandoning the platform in 2017.
From a Canceled Slab to the Surface Duo
The cancellation of the 2014 Surface Phone prototype meant that Microsoft spent years without a first-party smartphone designed and developed as a true first-party Surface device on its own terms. The Lumia phones did carry Microsoft’s software and branding, but those devices still carried a lot of Nokia’s DNA, leaving Microsoft with little to no experience building smartphones all by itself.
When the company finally returned to the mobile space with the Surface Duo, which started development in 2016 and launched to the public in 2020, it bypassed traditional slab designs completely. The Surface Duo and the later-released Surface Duo 2 took a novel approach as ambitious, dual-screen devices that came with plenty of compromises, making this newly revealed prototype a fascinating glimpse into a major turning point for Microsoft hardware.
Worth a look
