To say that Microsoft misread the market with its Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 devices would be a definite understatement. Just as devices with folding screens have started to become prevalent, Microsoft went a totally different way by betting on the fact that people would rather have dual flat displays instead. Let's just say it outright: this did not work out. Phones with foldable screens are seeing sales grow year after year, while the Surface Duo devices barely sold any units. So Microsoft is finally ready to change its strategy, according to a new report from "sources who are familiar with the company's plans".
The Surface Duo 3 will have a foldable
inner screen, and a flat outer screen, going for a similar form factor to the
vivo X Fold (pictured throughout this post) and the Honor Magic Vs. This device
has been through "a long year of hardware prototyping and experimentation",
allegedly.
Initially, Microsoft wanted the Surface
Duo 3 arriving at the end of this year to keep the dual-screen design of its
predecessors, but featuring narrower and taller edge-to-edge displays, wireless
charging, and other unnamed improvements. In fact, the design for this device
had already been finalized when the company miraculously decided to pick the
saner path and go with a truly foldable screen.
Because of this change, the end of year
shipping target went out of the window, and now it's unclear when the Surface
Duo 3 will actually be launched. Similarly, no details about its specs are
known at the moment, since it's apparently too early for that. Despite recent
reports claiming the Surface Duo 3 would have a 360-degree hinge, the sources
of today's info claim that's not accurate and it will be a 180-degree hinge
instead. That's what most other foldable phones have. While we've called it
Surface Duo 3 in this article for simplicity's sake, it very well could be
named something else if Microsoft wants the shift to a foldable screen to be
made more obvious.
The same sources revealing all this also
claim that Microsoft wants to differentiate its future Android offerings from
its competitors more, and is working on delivering "an ecosystem
experience" between its Android devices and Windows PCs, similar to what
it's like on the Apple side with iPhones and Macs. Furthermore, the company
would like to expand its line of Android smartphones to more than just the
Surface Duo, and has been exploring different form factors to possibly ship in
the future - we're talking traditional slab-style devices, not foldables.
