Smartphones have had a very short, yet elaborate, history at this point. Although Apple’s iPhone, which was released in 2007, was not the first smartphone to ever be made, most would be willing to pin it as a major turning point for smartphones – perhaps the most revolutionary turning point for smartphones to date, even. However, even after the Apple iPhone there are a couple of game-changing instances that come to mind when it comes to how the smartphone industry has been shaped into what it is today.

One of the bigger instances (pun intended) would be the unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Note.

To make things brief(ish), when the Samsung Galaxy Note was unveiled the 5.3-inch screen size was considered far too large for any sane person to want for smartphone; thus, the term “phablet” was coined, for people considered it too large to be a phone and too small to be a tablet. Many predicted that the phone would be among the many uniquely designed smartphones that never made it past the first generation. However, as you probably already know, the Samsung Galaxy Note actually turned out to be a decent device. Over the past several years it has grown to be one of the most anticipated flagship releases of the year. Instead of turning customers away, the exceptionally large size of the Galaxy Note actually sparked a revolution. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a flagship these days with anything less than a 5-inch display – and even that is on the smaller end of things.

With the surge of interest in Microsoft’s Windows 10 Mobile, especially now that Windows 10 is available and seems to be quite well-received, the next step is to hope for some decent flagships to follow. Although we already know of the Lumia 950 and the 950 XL, it feels like Microsoft might want to eventually make something to rival the Note. Since the Surface is already a competitor to the Note in tablet form (given that it also comes with a stylus, the Surface Pen) then it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to think that the Surface could be shrunken down to phone size and serve as a solid Note competitor as a smartphone as well.

There have already been hints that Microsoft may be considering a Surface phone, but nothing official yet.

The reason that the Galaxy Note is considered such a good device is because it’s good for a lot of things aside from just offering a lot of screen real estate. The stylus is a rare find, and a device with a built in dock for a stylus is even rarer. The Note has also been touted as having superb battery life and is the device to have for the multitasking smartphone user.

Sounds to me like a Surface phone could make for good competition. Plus, it’s already a fairly well-known brand when it comes to tech gadgets. The Surface and Surface Pro line of tablets are quite popular as tablets that can essentially “replace” your laptop. Since Microsoft is unifying Windows 10, and plans to give users the option to use their smartphones as PCs via the Continuum feature, it just makes sense to make a Surface phone.

I think that a Surface phone could be one of the most popular phones on the market, barring that Windows 10 Mobile doesn’t fall flat on its face. However, if Windows 10 Mobile really does end up gaining traction like I hope it does, I think that a Surface Phone could only make things even better for Microsoft and consumers. As long as Microsoft was able to focus on great battery life, multitasking, and include the stylus, I think it would make a great direct competitor and a good way for people to really take Windows 10 Mobile seriously.