It’s a double whammy...
What’s better than one screen? Why, two screens, of course. That’s what Microsoft is betting on big time
THIS week Microsoft revealed more details about its upcoming phone/ tablet/computer hybrid the Surface Duo. Microsoft has taken a different approach to most other hardware makers and has been determined to build a single platform for its devices – much of the Surface line-up is based on the 2-in-1 principle. In other words the devices are both laptops and tablets, depending on how you want to use them, with their detachable keyboards, or keyboard covers that fold away.
The Duo is different, though. For a start it does not run Windows. It runs Android.
That’s because as well as being a computer, it’s also a phone. And a tablet. Microsoft is hoping it offers the best of all worlds.
It is a folding device, but unlike the other folders from Samsung and others, the screen itself does not fold. There are two screens and the hinge in the middle is able to fold to 360 degrees – you can shut it fully either with the screens on the outside or the inside, and it’s well capable of holding any position in-between.
Obviously that makes the device a whole lot more robust – the challenges phone-makers have faced when building screens that actually fold themselves are well documented.
It also makes the Duo a lot thinner than other folding phones. When open it’s only 4.8mm thick, and (obviously) just 9.6mm thick when closed. Compare that to Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold2, which is going to be around 12mm thick when folded.
The Duo boasts two 5.6in screens which measure 8.1in across diagonally if you lay the device out flat.
They are AMOLED screens of a 3:2 aspect ratio, offering a resolution of 401ppi. In short, they should be as good as almost anything else out there.
The device has a camera, too, of course, but just one – the folding design means that the single lens can be both your selfie cam and your camera for taking pics of things other than yourself.
It’s a single lens 11MP camera that can do all the fancy things you’ll need – portrait mode, panorama and burst for stills, and 4K capture for video.
Battery-wise, Microsoft is claiming 27 hours of talk time, with up to 15 hours of video playback. Standby time is said to be 10 days. Internally, there isn’t that much to shout about – there’s no 5G for a start, and the processing power isn’t quite cutting edge. But it should be a capable device, nonetheless.
Software-wise, it comes pre-installed with all the Microsoft apps you’d expect, plus a full suite of Google apps, just like a standard Android phone.
Microsoft says it has worked closely with Google to optimise apps to take full advantage of the double-screen set-up.
And all of Microsoft apps are set up to work with the double-screen to the best effect. The apps also adapt on the fly to how the Duo is being held – whether it’s according to its orientation, or how it’s folded.
For example – with the device held in landscape mode and open to show both screens, clicking a link in a chat on one side will open that link in the other – so you can still see your chat.
This helps keep you in what Microsoft is calling ‘the flow’. In other words, wherever possible, it’ll show you new information on the second screen without obscuring the app you have come to that information from. It’s a possible game-changer for some.
Being able to fold the device partially also has its advantages – you can stand it up on both its outer edges to watch video, or open it partially like a laptop for typing or video calling.
If you are a Windows-user, there’s an app that allows you to use your Duo on your PC – it hooks up to the Duo and displays its screens on your PC screen, where you can control it using touch and keyboard.
It looks like a genuinely new take on mobile computing – but we’ll have to wait a while to find out if it fulfils its promise.
While it’s scheduled to hit the market in the US for $1,399 (around £1,000) on September 10, Microsoft has so-far stayed tight-lipped about a release date or price for the UK.