Microsoft Surface Duo is the brand’s first phone in years, and could go toe-to-toe with other foldable phones when it’s released on September 10.
Microsoft is avoiding calling the Microsoft Surface Duo a smartphone, going so far as to call it a “communication device” when it revealed the device in late 2019. However, it’s shaping up to look like the first new Microsoft-branded phone in years – and an impressive one at that. Judging from what we’ve seen of the device since its unveiling at the October 2019 Surface event and in the emulator reportedly sent to developers preparing Duo software, it certainly sounds like a phone, considering its function, features, and form factor. Two phablet-sized screens connected by a hinge and connected to LTE? Sounds like a phone to us. And a phone that’s coming soon: Microsoft has now revealed a Surface Duo release date of September 10, along with a price: $1,399 (about £1,070, AU$1,960). While that’s certainly costlier than flagship smartphones, it’s notably cheaper than foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold broadly similar formats. How is it a phone? The Microsoft Surface Duo can make calls and be folded up to a size that fits comfortably in one hand and in your pants pocket. Plus, it runs on Android, per Wired. Microsoft has been working with Google to create a version that runs seamlessly on a dual screen device. And, it seems that the company is really getting behind it, with Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president of Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, Photos and communication products, tweeting an image of it. However, it’s likely that Microsoft has a few surprises left to reveal about the device that could disqualify it from being considered a proper phone. There’s already more to the Surface Duo than simple phone functionality: it boasts dual 5.6-inch screens, but when unfolded, it can be used as an 8.3-inch tablet-like device. It can also be bent farther than flat – the full 360 degrees – for a front-to-back viewing mode. In fact, the Surface Duo strongly resembles another new device introduced during the October 2019 event – the Microsoft Surface Neo, a larger dual-screen tablet that runs a version of Windows 10 optimized for the two-display setup.
