If the supposed specs and features of the new Microsoft Surface Phone shape up to be true, the new iteration will be one of the flagship devices to beat when it launches. Speculations suggest that the Surface Phone will have an innovative feature — its whole display as a fingerprint scanner.

According to Phone Arena, Microsoft has filed a patent for new technology to integrate fingerprint sensor on the display glass itself. If this turns out as a novel feature for the Surface Phone, it will make the new flagship stand out from recent releases. Most recent flagships place their integrated fingerprint scanners into the button on the bottom front panel or as a separate sensor on the back of the device, mostly underneath the main camera setup.

However, the industry follower cautioned that even if Microsoft has filed a patent, it doesn't mean that it will be a confirmed feature for the upcoming Surface Phone. It may be that the tech giant is preparing for future versions of the Surface Phone, which means that the new flagship will bloom into a full-version lineup. If this happens, this will dovetail with rumors that Microsoft will be shifting flagship focus, aiming for a Surface Phone expansion and discontinuing its current-generation Lumia series.

Meanwhile, although Microsoft has yet to come out with confirmed details on the much-anticipated Surface Phone, supposed specs and features have already been leaked online. Speculations suggest that the new Surface Phone will carry a top-tier Qualcomm chipset, quite possibly the Snapdragon 821 or the rumored SD 830 chipset. As a flagship, it is also expected to come out with at least 4 GB of RAM, and there are also talks of a premium phablet with 6 GB of RAM. A new Surface Phone may also use the same Carl Zeiss optics that are the signature camera setups for previous Microsoft smartphone releases.