Leaked Surface Mini images provide a closer look at Microsoft’s canceled tablet

Surface Mini images leaked earlier this year, and now we’re getting an even closer look at Microsoft’s canceled tablet. Evan Blass has published marketing images for the Surface Mini, revealing a red rubber case with a kickstand and full specifications. The Surface Mini was reportedly a 7.5-inch device with a 1440 x 1080 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. It appears that Microsoft was planning black, red, and blue variants of the Surface Mini before its cancellation.

Microsoft was originally planning to introduce a Surface Mini tablet alongside its Surface Pro 3 at an event in May 2014. While the Surface Pro 3 was announced, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop canceled the Surface Mini project just weeks before.

The Surface Mini was powered by Qualcomm’s ARM processor, and was designed to run Windows RT and support the Surface Pen. Codenamed Surface Iris, the mini tablet looks like a note taking device for students, or even a tablet for kids thanks to its size and colors. Surface chief Panos Panay previously described the Surface Mini as “like a moleskine,” further cementing its creation as a notepad replacement.

Microsoft probably canceled the tablet at the right time. The software giant didn’t have much success with its Windows RT tablets, and the larger tablet market has ignored 7- or 8-inch tablets in favor of larger smartphones.