The most exciting device at Microsoft’s Surface event was the Surface Duo, the long-rumoured dual-screen Andromeda device finally come to life.
Microsoft showed quite a bit of how the device would be used, and confirmed details such as that the device would be powered by Android and a Snapdragon 855 processor, have a dual 5.3 inch (combined 8.3 inches) screen and a USB-C port.
There are however important questions which remain unanswered, listed below:
How much will the device cost?
The Surface Duo does not use advanced flexible screens, but dual-screened devices are reasonably expected to cost more than singe screen devices. It seems likely the device would cost more than a high-end Samsung Galaxy Note 10, possibly in the $1500 range.
Where will it be distributed?
Microsoft has a long tradition of only releasing devices into the US market. Microsoft has not said whether this device will be released globally, and no carrier partners have said they would offer the device to customers. It remains to be seen how widely it will be distributed.
Will it be a 5 G device?
While this may appear to be a technical feature, a smartphone that is intended to hit the market at the end of 2020 will certainly need this as a basic requirement.
Will it have a good external camera?
Microsoft has been extremely cagey about this, firstly implying that a good camera is not important for productivity use, and secondly that they have not told the full camera story yet.
There are a number of other unanswered questions, such as the developer story around the modifications Microsoft made to the Android operating system, what version of Android it will ship with, what battery life will be like, what screen technology will be used etc, but unlike the above those will likely not influence whether the device ends up in your hands and market or not.
Are there any other answered questions that need to be added to the list? Let us know below.
via CNET