The Microsoft "Raven" Surface Phone: A Canceled 2014 Windows Phone Prototype Explained

In the years before Microsoft officially entered the phone hardware market with its Surface brand, the company was reportedly developing an in-house handset that never saw the light of day. Codename "Raven," this 2013-2014 Windows Phone prototype has resurfaced in recent photographs, offering a glimpse at what could have been the first Surface Phone.

What Was the "Raven"?

"Raven" (a codename reported by Windows Central but not officially confirmed by Microsoft) was an internally developed Windows Phone handset created by Microsoft before the company completed its acquisition of Nokia's devices and services business in April 2014 . At the time, industry rumors suggested this device was intended to launch as a "Surface Phone" alongside the Surface Pro line in 2014, carrying the Surface branding to extend the company's successful PC and tablet design language into the mobile space .

Hardware and Software Details

Based on recently surfaced photographs and reporting from sources like Windows Central, the "Raven" prototype reveals a compact device with several defining characteristics:

• Chassis: A compact handset featuring a silver metal perimeter or band, with a Microsoft logo prominently displayed on the back. The overall design language closely resembled the Surface 2 tablet, which was released in the same timeframe .
• Display: A 720p screen, though the exact size and panel type (e.g., LCD vs. AMOLED) have not been documented on the prototype .
• Processor: An unknown Qualcomm chip, with the specific model not identified on the seen prototype .
• Ports and Buttons: The prototype includes an independent volume rocker, a dedicated camera shutter key, a power button on the top edge, and both a Micro USB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom edge. It also features physical navigation buttons (back, Windows, search) below the display, a staple of that era's Windows Phone design .
• Software: The device ran an early, internal preview build of Windows Phone 8.1, reportedly from approximately September 2013 .

Crucially, many detailed specifications remain unknown. Only a handful of these prototype units are believed to exist, and key hardware details like RAM, storage capacity, camera resolution, and battery size are not documented in public sources.

Why Was "Raven" Canceled?

The primary reason for the cancellation of the "Raven" project was Microsoft's $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia's devices and services business, which closed on April 25, 2014 . Once the deal was finalized, Microsoft owned Nokia's entire Lumia product line, its design teams, manufacturing capabilities, and established supply chain. Developing and launching a competing in-house Surface Phone alongside the newly acquired and already successful Lumia portfolio would have created significant internal conflict, redundant research and development costs, and confusion in the market. Microsoft ultimately committed to the Lumia brand as its primary vehicle for Windows Phone, and the "Raven" project was consequently shelved before it ever reached the engineering validation stage for production .

Comparison to the Surface Duo

The "Raven" project is often loosely linked in the public imagination with the later Surface Duo, but the two devices represent fundamentally different visions and eras for Microsoft's mobile ambitions.

Feature	"Raven" (2013–2014)	Surface Duo (2020)
Form factor	Single-screen candybar phone	Dual-screen foldable device with 360° hinge
Operating System	Windows Phone 8.1	Android 10 (upgradable to Android 12/12L)
Display	Single 720p panel (unknown size)	Dual 5.6" AMOLED panels (8.1" fused), 2700x1800
Processor	Unknown Qualcomm chip (likely Snapdragon 400-class)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Cameras	Rear camera present (specs unknown)	Single 11MP rear/front-facing camera
Physical Buttons	Capacitive navigation keys, dedicated camera button	No capacitive keys; volume and power only
Status	Canceled prototype	Shipped product, later discontinued

The "Raven" was a traditional monochrome slab running Microsoft's own mobile operating system, conceived before the company owned a major phone hardware division. In contrast, the Surface Duo was a dual-screen Android device built years after Microsoft had effectively exited the Windows Phone market, aimed squarely at productivity with Microsoft 365 integration at its core. While both projects carried the Surface branding vision, they shared almost no engineering, software stack, or design DNA .