Microsoft is said to have revived its Surface Mini tablet just two months after reportedly shelving the project, Digital Spy said.

Reliable tipster Evleaks claims that the downsized Windows slate is back in production ahead of a summer release.

Originally tipped to debut in May, the Surface Mini 2 is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm processor and come with a 7-inch, 1440 x 1080 pixel-resolution display.

Microsoft is believed to have postponed the device's launch as CEO Satya Nadella was concerned that it would be unable to compete with the latest iPad Mini and Nexus 7 slates.

It is yet to be confirmed whether the tablet will run the Windows RT operating system, or make the jump to the fully-fledged Windows 8.1.

Microsoft has been tipped to launch the device to coincide with its touch-friendly 'Gemini' edition of Office.