In 2008, the iPhone was still the hot new gadget, and the iPad was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs’ eye. That year, the Microsoft Courier dual-screen tablet concept leaked all over the internet. It was a fascinating idea that never came to fruition, but Microsoft is going all-in with dual-screen devices in 2020. The company has announced a pair of dual-screen devices at its latest Surface
event: the Surface Neo computer and the Surface Duo Android phone.
The Surface Neo straddles the tablet and notebook categories. It folds, but it’s not a “foldable” like the Galaxy Fold which has a single flexible panel. Instead, the Neo has dual 9-inch displays. Each side of the device is 5.6mm thick, and the whole thing weighs 655g (1.44 pounds). It has a 360-degree hinge, so you can fold the screens inward to close it or position it like a traditional laptop (there’s an optional keyboard cover). You can also fold the displays outward to prop it up like a tent or use just one of the two LCDs.
Unlike the new Surface Pro X, this is not an ARM-powered device. Microsoft says it runs a custom Intel Lakefield processor with 11th Gen graphics powering both displays. There’s also support for the Surface Pen, which attached magnetically to the back. It runs Windows 10X, which appears to be a tweaked build of the full operating system for dual-screen devices. Microsoft engineer Carmen Zlateff confirms Windows 10X can run all existing Windows apps.
The Neo would have been the clear headliner if it wasn’t for Microsoft’s other dual-screen announcement. The Surface Duo is Microsoft’s first Android phone, and it looks like a shrunken-down version of the Neo. It has similar hinges, allowing you to use it in various configurations. For example, you can fold it all the way open to access just one of the 5.6-inch displays or flatten the device out to use both screens side-by-side. Still, the ergonomics of this design are highly suspect.
While the Neo doesn’t have the expansive flexible OLED like the Galaxy Fold, it’s probably going to be more durable — flexible OLEDs are plastic, but the Surface Duo can use glass like every other phone. Microsoft is also working closely with one-time mobile competitor Google to make this distinctive design play nicely with Android. We don’t know much about the internals, but the Duo is currently running a Snapdragon 855. That could change by the time it launches, which won’t be soon.
According to Microsoft, it’s showing off the new dual-screen devices early so developers can get ready. It plans to launch the Surface Neo and Duo in time for the 2020 holiday shopping season. It didn’t touch on pricing, but we’d wager it’ll be high.
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- Microsoft Files Another Patent for a Dual-Screen Device
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