Microsoft has unveiled its new Surface Duo, a smartphone with two independent but connected screens that close together like a book. The phone, set to come out at the end of next year, will boast computing power and smartphone functions, and, unlike earlier Microsoft phones, run on Android. The phone was presented during Microsoft's Surface event in New York City.
Two screens
The two screens for the Surface Duo are not foldable like a sheet, like the Samsung Galaxy Fold, but can form a larger picture together, separated by a hinge. They can also work separately. The screens each have a diagonal span of 5.3 inches when closed. Open, the combined screen width is 8.3 inches.
The prototype runs on Android 9.0 Pie. As the phone will only come out at the end of 2020, it may come out with a further version. Android 10 is the most current version of Android but it is possible the Surface Duo may next year sport Android 11.
The phone is driven by a Snapdragon 855 processor, the fastest one on the current market. Again, when it comes out, the phone will likely feature a faster processor. At the end of 2020, the Snapdragon 855 will no longer meet specifications for the (ultra) high-end segment. So it is likely, again, that Microsoft will make some adjustments there in the phone’s hardware configuration.
First smartphone since 2016
The Suface Duo is the first smartphone put out by Microsoft since the Microsoft Lumia 650 came on the market in February 2016. Microsoft sold its smartphone division later that year to HMD Global and completely stopped developing its own smartphones. This also brought the development of the Windows 10 mobile operating system to a halt.
