Microsoft Surface Duo may take the spotlight of the foldable phone of the year in 2021 because of its leaked earlier release than the Galaxy Fold 2.
Microsoft is carving up a good niche in the laptop scene. For the past few years, Microsoft has been on top of its game with great devices within its Surface line up. This year, they plan to add to its so far so good legacy with the Surface Duo.
The company announced the possible late 2020 release of the Surface Duo. Now, it would seem like they underestimated themselves. Microsoft is allegedly planning to release the Surface Duo three months earlier than planned.
Microsoft Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 2
The early release of the Surface Duo will allegedly be anytime before the Galaxy Fold 2. The latter smartphone is set to be announced in the online Unpacked event on August 5. In other words, the earlier release means that Microsoft is one quarter of the year early based on its estimates last year.
Should the rumor be true, the early release of the Microsoft Duo is bad news for the Galaxy Fold 2. Samsung is still, unfortunately, on its redemption run for the Galaxy Fold line up. The over-promising phone was met with scrutiny and criticisms for under-delivering.
I'm told Microsoft wants to launch Surface Duo before the Galaxy Fold 2 is announced. So, before August 5th? We're getting close. Assuming plans don't change, Surface Duo should start shipping in less than 2 months.
— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) June 12, 2020
Microsoft seems ready to hit the ground running, and steal the thunder from Samsung in the foldable phone arena. The company was able to showcase a fully functioning Duo last year, which means that they had almost a full year to fix any possible problem on the Duo.
Not many companies have that luxury of time fixing phones even before releasing them to the public.
Microsoft Duo specs
The Microsoft Duo will be Android powered. As expected, it will have an overlying skin with Microsoft’s touch. The processor is expected to be a Snapdragon 855 from Qualcomm as well.
The Duo’s internal memory will be either be 64GB or 256GB. Additionally, it will have a battery pack of 3,460mAh powering two AMOLED screens. The camera will be a measly 11-megapixel lens.
Putting all these together means that the Duo will, at best, be a mid-range device at a relatively low price point. Nonetheless, it will still hover within the flagship prices because of its novelty, but maybe not within the Galaxy Fold price range.
If Microsoft indeed launches the Duo earlier than expected, then Samsung is in for a tough matchup.
Image courtesy of Microsoft/ Youtube