is trying to make its mark in mobile once again, but with a device we didn’t exactly see coming: a dual-screen Android phone that looks just like a smaller Surface Neo.
The details are pretty scarce for now, but here’s what we know. Each side uses a 5.6-inch display that come together thanks to a 360-degree hinge, and when it’s time to take a phone call, you can simply fold one of the screens behind the other to make the Duo easier to hold. At this point, it’s not clear whether you can fold a screen back to use a single screen for traditional Android apps, but it’s a very safe bet you can.
Microsoft corporate vice president of devices Panos Panay stresses that it’s a proper Surface first and foremost.
“We absolutely know scientifically that you will be more productive on two screens,” Panay said.
That focus on actually getting stuff done on multiple displays was the ethos Microsoft ran with last time, too. One of the biggest draws for its earlier Windows 10 Mobile platform was Continuum, which let users connect their Windows phones to external displays, augment them with Bluetooth keyboards and mice, and effectively get the standard Windows experience. While other smartphone makers eventually implemented their own Android desktop modes, the idea hasn’t really expanded beyond its original niche.
Rather than cling to classic computing concepts Microsoft is looking at where the mobile industry is moving this time. It’ll be a while yet before we get a true sense of what the Surface Duo is capable of.
