Despite the fact that Surface Neo, Microsoft’s two-screen tablet, will not be launched this year and probably not next year, the company does not seem to give up all plans for such devices. Surface Duo, the two-screen smartphone with Android software, is still scheduled to be launched in 2020, and the fact that it has passed the FCC certification in the USA suggests that its launch is imminent.
Microsoft announced last year its first smartphone in the Surface range. This is not an ordinary model, however. Compared to Microsoft devices based on Nokia technologies and the Windows 10 Mobile operating system, Surface Duo promises to run Android, but also to offer many productivity functions thanks to the two screens.
Surface Duo will be equipped with more modest hardware than current flagships
Basically, Microsoft wants to introduce this concept of a two-screen computer in several forms. One would be a replacement for a traditional laptop, in the form of Surface Neo, and another should replace your traditional phone and maybe tablet.
Already being tested by the FCC under the name “1930”, the launch of the Surface Duo could take place in the next few weeks. It was announced with two 5.6 ”AMOLED screens with a resolution of 1,350 x 1,800 pixels each. They should be the same surface as an 8.3 ”tablet when fully open. Then the internal hardware would be a generation ago: Snapdragon 855, 6 GB RAM, 64, 128 and 256 GB storage options and a single 12 megapixel camera. However, the 3,460 mAh battery does not seem very suitable to power two screens permanently.
However, this model would still be a smartphone equipped with a stylus. For a long time, Samsung Galaxy Note remained the only option in this regard, but recently other companies have started to pay attention to this accessory. Surface Duo could be the first two-screen phone compatible with a stylus. Something that the Surface Duo does not offer is an NFC module, which suggests that it will not be compatible with contactless payments.
Given that it has an older generation chipset and is not equipped with a modem or 5G antennas, Surface Duo could be a cheaper model than the flagships of recent times, despite the fact that it integrates two screens.