Surface Duo is Microsoft’s first Android phone

Jun 21, 2020 06:57 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is expected to unveil the Surface Duo sometime this summer, but while the company has remained completely tight-lipped on the release date of the device, information coming through unofficial channels suggested the whole thing could happen before Samsung unveils the new Galaxy Fold 2.

And as it turns out, there’s a good chance this information is accurate, as the release of the Surface Duo seems all but confirmed now, with an official announcement believed to be imminent.

And it’s all because the Your Phone app has recently been updated with support for the Surface Duo, which makes total sense given that Microsoft wants its Android phone to work with Windows 10 seamlessly.

Android 10 pre-installed, Android 11 very soon

The Your Phone app allows Android phone users to connect their mobile devices to Windows 10 PCs and then access certain content, like photos, videos, messages right from their desktops. Furthermore, Your Phone enables screen mirroring on certain devices, as well as notifications that are pushed to the desktop for even more control.

So supporting the Surface Duo is an essential thing for the Your Phone app and the experience on Windows 10. Microsoft is likely to confirm the integration with Windows 10 when it announces the Surface Duo officially.

For the time being, what we know about the Surface Duo dual-screen device is that it could be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor paired with 6GB of RAM. By the looks of things, the device will ship with Android 10, as Android 11 is still in development and it takes more time until Google finalizes the development. There’s a chance, however, the Surface Duo could be one of the first devices to receive the update to Android 11 after the OS becomes available.

Microsoft Launcher will come pre-loaded for an experience that’s more optimized for Microsoft services.