Surface team leader Panos Panay confirmed that there was indeed a Microsoft Surface Mini, but the possibility of it being seen on the market is bleak, if none at all.

As early as December 2014, TechRadar reported rumors about the Microsoft Surface Mini. Since then, various versions of it surfaced online. In fact, stories about the Surface Mini made rounds on the internet way before 2014 when the Surface line was at its peak. Although Microsoft never confirmed its existence nor gave any official statement denying it, this will be the first time that the Surface Mini's existence will be confirmed. It may not be an official confirmation, but Wired hinted that it may have existed when they made an inside story about how the Surface Pro came to light.

In the story, Panos revealed that the Surface Mini existed. He mentioned how he wakes up in the middle of the night with new ideas and jots them down on his Surface Mini. He even compared it to a Moleskin and says that using it was "awesome."

The story stemmed from two years ago when Panay's team started conceptualizing the Microsoft Surface Book. This could only mean that the Surface Mini had existed but never made it to the market. The Verge made a past report about Microsoft canceling the launch of the Surface Mini, saying that CEO Satya Nadella and Executive VP Stephen Elop didn't have much faith on the device.

Another TechRadar report said that the Microsoft Surface Mini should have been launched alongside the Surface 3 until Microsoft's executives backed out. Panay's story on Wired only talked about the existence of the Surface Mini during that time, but it never mentioned if it was deliberated on. He also didn't mention anything about its possible launching. Therefore, it is safe to say that the Surface Mini did exist, but we will never get our hands on it.

According to The Verge, the Surface Mini is, in fact, being hailed as an Xbox-branded gaming tablet that users can actually use in the absence of the Xbox console. They described it as a seven-inch gaming tablet that may eventually be called the Xbox Surface tablet.

Meanwhile, other Microsoft devices on the Surface series have been popping up such as the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. Even if the release of a Surface Mini is bleak, Wired has cleared rumors and questions about the device's existence.