We might not be seeing Microsoft’s Surface Phone codenamed Andromeda anytime soon as the project has been shelved since last year. However, a new report says Microsoft is developing a new two-screen device that may arrive as early as the first quarter of 2020.
A report by Forbes says Microsoft is planning to launch a dual-screen device in the first half of 2020. This device will have two 9-inch displays with a 4:3 aspect ratio according to info from supply chain sources said Jeff Lin, an Associate Director at IHS Markit, who spoke to Forbes.
The unnamed device will be powered by Intel’s 10nm Lakefield SoC and will run a version of Windows called Windows Core OS (WCOS) a.k.a Windows Lite which has a UI designed to support dual displays. The Microsoft device will also have always-on connectivity but it is unconfirmed if it is 4G or 5G.
While Microsoft definitely can’t wait to show us the device (we really hope it has a USB-C power port), it has more to offer than just hardware design. On the software part, it has been reported that the Surface device will be able to run Android apps! That sure is a big deal as Android has tons of apps for users to choose from. But it isn’t as simple as that. Microsoft will have to create its own app store and encourage developers to make their apps to work without Google play services.
It has also been reported that the device which is codenamed “Centaurus” will also run iCloud.
The Verge reports that Microsoft already showed the device at an employee-only event but the public might get first look much later this year before its announcement.
