Microsoft's Surface Duo may be launched as soon as next month

In our look at folding phones as potential tablet and even PC replacements we ended by noting that the Microsoft Surface Duo dual-screen smartphone is worth waiting for, before investing in a foldable phone. While folding phones are expensive and fragile at the moment, what Microsoft has done with the Duo is connect two separate glass screens via a conventional hinge. That suggests the productivity-oriented smartphone will not only be more sturdy and reliable than a folding one, but it's likely going to be better priced too.

Up until recently, the Duo's release date was expected to be around the holiday season, along with a limited release in summer, but new information coming from Windows Central's Zac Bowden suggests that Microsoft may actually be planning its release for as soon as next month.

According to Bowden, Microsoft wants to launch the Surface Duo before Samsung announces its Galaxy Fold 2 folding smartphone. The Fold 2 itself is expected to be launched alongside the Galaxy Note 20 and a 5G-enabled Galaxy Z Flip on August 5th. This would suggest that Microsoft is likely going to launch its first Android smartphone, the Surface Duo, sometime in July. If so, we should expect an announcement soon.

As previously mentioned, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, which is to feature a 7.7-inch foldable main display, Microsoft's Surface Duo will sport two 5.6-inch 1350 x 1800 screens held together by a small hinge. The Duo is also a productivity-focused phone, as Microsoft has shown several times before, in addition to marketing it as the Android device that will "reimagine productivity on the go."