What a pleasant surprise from Microsoft. The industry was only talking recently about the Project xCloud for streaming of Xbox games to a mobile device. We had no idea the software giant was cooking up a new Surface. Just announced are two new foldable devices–the Microsoft Surface Duo and the Microsoft Surface Neo. The pair is under the Surface lineup. What’s interesting is that the two run on Android OS and Windows 10X. It’s not clear if they can be considered a smartphone or a tablet or a smaller laptop but we’re filing them under “foldable phones”. That can still be argued but for now, allow us to focus on what the new devices can do.
At a special event, Microsoft unveiled an Android phone with two screens. The first device is the Surface Deo that comes with a pair of 6.5-inch displays. The phone expands and works with a stylus called Surface Pen.
Microsoft Surface Duo
The Microsoft Surface Duo also comes with a selfie camera and an earpiece that we’re assuming can be used for calls. The two displays are separate by a 360-degree hinge so you can use the device open or closed. It folds inward and outward so it’s like having another dual-screen phablet (phone-tablet).
Microsoft will be releasing the new Surface product holiday season of 2020. That is over a year from now so the company has a lot of time to improve and finalize the gadget.
Microsoft Surface Neo
The other device is the Surface Neo. This one is larger we can just call it another Windows laptop or a foldable PC. It boasts a pair of 9-inch displays and a 360-degree hinge. When opened up, the two screens result in a 13-inch display. It also features Surface Pen and Bluetooth mouse support.
The Microsoft Surface Neo comes with a detachable keyword so you can type normally as you would on a laptop. When attached, the upper part of the screen turns into a ‘WonderBar’ that contains app controls, shortcuts, video previews, and emojis among others.
The Neo will run on Windows 10X only so it can be considered as another Surface PC. Like the Duo, this will also roll out Q4 2020. No word on pricing and availability yet but we’ll keep you updated.