Thoughts on the Microsoft Surface Neo and Surface Duo

Microsoft, at its Surface hardware event today, announced a slew of new products, including updates to its Surface tablet and laptop lineup. In addition, it also previewed some new gadgets slated to launch this time next year: the Surface Neo and the Surface Duo.

The Surface Neo is a foldable, dual-screen tablet that, I have to admit, looks pretty slick. The Surface Duo is a very similar form factor, but sized like a phone.

I’m pretty firmly in the Apple camp, but Microsoft’s hardware team has been making strides these past several years. By far the most interesting part of their announcements today were these new dual-screen devices.

So far, the fascination with “foldable” devices has been lost on me. Phones like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold have shown that the technology for a phone with a display that bends isn’t quite where it would need to be for a real mainstream product, and the other implementations from phone makers like Huawei and Oppo seem like they’re reaching for a future that isn’t quite here yet.

I’m much more interested in Microsoft’s approach of using two separate screens, rather than a single foldable panel. In my head, having two screens that sit side-by-side just makes more sense, at least considering where foldable screens are today.

With the Surface Neo, I think the size and versatility are really compelling, and the attachable keyboard is a neat addition, too.

The Surface Duo is neat in its own way, but I have to say that I’m not a huge fan of it running a skinned version of Android. Though I never had a Windows Phone, Microsoft’s phone software always looked really interesting. It’s a shame they’re not doing their own anymore.

It’ll be interesting to see how battery life is (for both devices) and what kind of software support they can get from developers to make apps that take advantage of the hardware.