Microsoft’s Surface Duo aims to change how we look at tablets and phons.
Microsoft
Microsoft will begin accepting preorders for the Surface Duo handheld device on Wednesday, the company said in an early morning blog post. The software giant said the device, which it it revealed last year, will launch Sept. 10 and start at $1,399 for its 128GB version.
The Surface Duo features two 5.6-inch screens connected by a pair of what Microsoft calls “dual-axis” 360-degree hinges. The technology Microsoft developed for the Surface Duo allows the screens to lay flat on a table facing up, be folded into a tent mode with screens facing out, held like a book with screens facing inward, or closed like a clamshell.
The Surface Duo’s design stands out from other super-sized phones such as last year’s Samsung Galaxy Fold, which retailed for $1,980, and Huawei’s Mate X, which cost an equivalent of $2,400 when it released last year. Both those phones featured a large single screen that can be folded in half, rather than Microsoft’s dual-screen device.
The Surface Duo runs on a modified version of Google’s Android software, which powers nearly all mobile devices that aren’t made by Apple. Microsoft said it chose Android because of the app catalog it already has.
