Earlier this week, Microsoft hinted strongly that its Windows-powered Surface Neo foldable tablet had been indefinitely delayed. But what about its other foldable Surface product, the Android-powered Surface Duo? Android Authority has learned that the Surface Duo release date timeframe is the same as previously announced, with a launch still scheduled for sometime in 2020.
This information comes to Android Authority from a source with knowledge of Microsoft’s plans. The same source adds that a more specific Surface Duo release date time frame will be revealed at a later date.
Microsoft first announced the Surface Duo, along with the now in limbo Surface Neo, at a press event back in October 2019. While the device certainly has the size of a smartphone when folded, Microsoft doesn’t label it as a phone. The product, which was later spotted being used in the wild in February 2020, will have two displays that are separated by a foldable hinge. You should be able to use one app on one screen, and another app on the second display and some apps could be expanded to spread across both displays.
Microsoft has not revealed much of the specific hardware specs for the Surface Duo. The device used at the press event had a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor inside and ran on Android 9 Pie, We would hope that the final version would at least use Android 10, if not the upcoming Android 11. A price for the device has not been revealed either.
The same source also confirmed to Android Authority that the development of the previously announced Windows-based Surface Neo tablet has indeed been paused. Microsoft hinted that the product was on the backburner earlier this week in a blog post. Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer Panos Panay wrote that the company will now “look for the right moment� to release dual-screen devices that ran on Windows 10X, which was previously designed specifically for those kinds of products. Windows 10X is still in development, but will now be used first on new cloud-based single screen products.
Microsoft took a risk by revealing both the Surface Neo and the Surface Duo a year ahead of their tentative release dates. With the Neo tablet now mothballed, it will be up to the Surface Duo to see if it can cause a stir in Microsoft’s overall Surface hardware plans. The company just announced a refresh of some of its older Surface products, including the Surface Book 3 2-in-1 notebook and the Surface Go 2 tablet.
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