Surface Duo Still On Track For 2020 Launch

Fans of dual-screen devices, take heart. Microsoft has not yet abandoned its lofty dreams. The Surface Neo, along with the host of dual-screen Windows 10X devices may have been delayed to 2021 or even indefinitely but it seems that its other novel device may still happen this year. That is, of course, the Surface Duo phone that is reportedly still happening. Whether it will still have the same impact in the market is now in question even more than before and will mostly depend on how much interest Microsoft has gotten from Android app developers.

It's not to say that the Microsoft Duo with a dual-screen Android interface won't be interesting. There are barely any devices of its kind but they do exist, like the LG V60 ThinQ and LG G8X ThinQ before it. Unfortunately, those phones also demonstrated how it isn't a simple case of sticking two screens together.

Microsoft's previous demo of the Surface Duo also showed how fragile Android apps might be if not optimized for this form factor. That's the reason why it launched its SDKs early to give developers a head's up on porting their apps to the upcoming phone. Given Microsoft's earlier announcement regarding Windows 10X devices, however, some of those developers might now be having second thoughts.

Android Authority's source assures that the Surface Duo is still coming this year but doesn't give an exact timeline for that. The dual-screen phone was expected to launch early but the COVID-19 pandemic may have put the brakes on that.

The Surface Duo will definitely still cause quite a stir in the mobile market that may be thirsty for something new these days. Whether it actually gets the sales numbers Microsoft hopes, however, for might be harder during this period.