Microsoft Jumps Back In The Phone Business With The New Surface Duo

It feels like forever ago I was writing about the latest Microsoft Windows phones. Fresh off their purchase of Nokia, Microsoft tried their damndest to keep up with the onslaught of iPhone and Android devices hitting the market. After several huge flops within the mobile space, Microsoft sold Nokia off and retreated into the hills. We’d assumed they’d given up on ever making another phone again, until today.

During their Surface Event, Microsoft unveiled the latest smartphone they’d been working on, the Microsoft Surface Duo. The Surface Duo is easily one of their more ambitious products, with a design that will certainly speak to certain consumers. The name itself describes the device’s most important feature: two 5.6 inch displays centered by a 360-degree hinge. The device fully runs Android and will target people who want “more” from their devices.

The Surface Duo’s screens will be able to operate independently, meaning they’ll be able to run two apps at once. You can also rotate the device into landscape mode and use one screen for viewing and the other for typing. One other scenario is that gamers can utilize one screen as a mini monitor, and the other as your controller.

Ironically enough, the phone won’t be released until 2020. That means a lot of things could potentially change before the device ever hits shelves. One thing that will most certainly NEED to change is the processor that will power the unit. The Surface Duo will allegedly have a Snapdragon 855 processor, which by the time it hits the market will be a full year old. There have also been no other details about the phone released, like whether or not it’ll have a rear camera.

In the end, this is a very exciting development for smartphone owners and especially Microsoft fans.