See the first photo taken with Microsoft's Surface Duo smartphone

Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft, has shared on Instagram the first public photo captured on the company's upcoming two-screen smartphone, the Surface Duo.

Considering Instagram's photo compression, which we briefly mentioned in a recent article about an upcoming mystery 192-megapixel smartphone, there's not much that can be said on the photo in question. It's quite crisp and bright, considering it's an indoor photo of a cozy home environment.


The device's camera will clearly compete with other flagships, and may additionally feature multi-spectral imaging capabilities, as suggested by a patent application from last year. That specific camera feature translates to capturing image data undetectable to the human eye, with similar technology being used to verify historical documents and works of art. Multi-spectral imaging capabilities on the Surface Duo are only speculated, however.

The Surface Duo is expected during the holiday season of 2020, though we've reported on rumors suggesting an earlier, limited release possibly happening as early as this summer.

The device is a different take on the foldable phones trend, as seen on the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip, instead focusing on productivity, and featuring a more conventional hinge between two separate screens, making it sturdier. It's expected to run Android, and function as both a productivity device and a smartphone.

Boasting a pair of 5.6-inch displays with a resolution of 1350 x 1800, and last year's flagship Snapdragon 855 processor powering it on the inside, the Surface Duo's entry version is to come with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It's also expected to support the Surface Pen, further increasing its appeal as a portable productivity device.

In addition, Microsoft is to release a larger device of a similar form factor, the Surface Neo, which will be running a unique version of Windows 10, that will take advantage of this new dual-screen form factor.