Microsoft’s Surface Duo 3 will have a foldable screen

To say that Microsoft has misinterpreted the market with its Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 devices would definitely be an understatement. Just as devices with foldable screens started to become prevalent, Microsoft took a completely different route by betting that people would rather have dual flat displays instead.

Let’s face it: it didn’t work. Phones with foldable screens are seeing sales grow year over year, while Surface Duo devices have sold barely any units. So Microsoft is finally ready to change its strategy, according to a new report from “sources familiar with the company’s plans.”

Surface Duo 3 will have a foldable internal screen and a flat external screen, with a form factor similar to the vivo X Fold (pictured in this post) and the Honor Magic Vs. This device has gone through “a long year of prototyping and experimentation hardware”, presumably.

Originally, Microsoft wanted the Surface Duo 3 to arrive later this year to keep the dual-screen design of its predecessors, but with narrower and taller edge-to-edge displays, wireless charging, and other unnamed improvements.

In fact, the design of this device had already been finalized when the company miraculously decided to go the saner route and go with a truly foldable screen.

Due to this change, the year-end shipment target has gone beyond the window and it is now unclear when the Surface Duo 3 will actually launch. Likewise, no details on its specifications are currently known, since apparently it’s too early for that.

Despite recent reports that the Surface Duo 3 would have a 360-degree hinge, today’s information sources say that’s not accurate and will instead be a 180-degree hinge. This is what most other foldable phones have. While we’ve called it the Surface Duo 3 in this article for simplicity, it could very well be called something else if Microsoft wants the move to a foldable screen to be made more obvious.

The same sources disclosing all of this also say that Microsoft wants to differentiate its future Android offerings more from its competitors and is working to offer an “ecosystem experience” between its Android devices and Windows PCs, similar to what’s on the side. Apple with iPhones and Macs.

Additionally, 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 foldable ones.