Meet Surface Neo, Surface Duo: Microsoft's version of foldable devices

Microsoft dropped two surprises at its Surface event on October 2 in the US. The Windows OS maker revealed two new devices called Surface Neo and Surface Duo. What’s special about these foldable devices is that they have dual screens with a hinge in between. The hinge allows the user to fold and unfold the Surface Neo and Surface Duo, even at a 360-degree angle.

The Surface Neo is a laptop-cum-tablet by Microsoft. If you have been following the company’s product line, you must have come across the ‘Microsoft Courier concept’ that was rumoured to launch between 2008 and 2010 but never did. The Surface Neo is more-or-less like the Courier.

The Surface Neo opens like how the Galaxy Fold does, except that the screen isn't foldable. It has two separate 9-inch LCD screens surrounded by Gorilla Glass that, when folded out, offer a 13-inch screen estate.

There is a visible hinge in between the two which differentiates it from other foldable smartphones like the Galaxy Fold or the Mate X which have a folding display.

Microsoft stated that the Surface Neo is 5.6mm thick, 655 grams in weight and is ‘light and thin so that you can hold it in all its postures’. The Neo is powered by a custom Intel Lakefield processor with an 11th-generation graphics engine.

Surface Neo runs on Windows 10X that is designed and customised specially for foldable devices. The new OS comes with its tricks and features like allowing users to multitask by opening two apps on either screen. 

It also has a feature called ‘Spanning’, that expands an app across two screens. Spanning would be useful, say for example, when you get an email that has a link inside. The feature would open the link on the second screen, allowing you to go through the website or your mail. The feature is also useful for cross-referencing.

Another useful feature of the Surface Neo, like many other Surface devices, is a magnetic keyboard that can be attached or detached to the device. On the Surface Neo, users can set up the magnetic keyboard on either screen. The extra space makes way for ‘Wonder Bar’, which shows emojis or can be used as a trackpad.  Even with the keyboard attached, Windows 10X allows users to move content on the Wonder Bar.

The Surface Neo also comes with support for Surface Pen that attaches magnetically at the back for charging. It will be available for sale starting year-end 2020.

The Surface Duo is a smaller Surface Neo, except it runs on Android. Microsoft has partnered with Google for integrating and supporting apps that work seamlessly on both the screens simultaneously.

The Surface Duo has two 5.6-inch displays or a fully unfolded 8.3-inch screen. There is a hinge in between the two screens that, like the Surface Neo, allows users to rotate the displays to 360-degrees.

Each display can run two separate apps simultaneously or can be used in landscape mode with a keyboard, like the Neo. 

What’s different on the Surface Duo from the Neo is the ability to make phone calls. Microsoft chief of product Panos Panay did not call the Duo a ‘phone’ but a Surface that can answer phone calls as well. It also has a camera at the front. 

Both the Surface devices are currently unavailable for purchase. Microsoft stated that it has previewed the Surface Neo and Duo so early to get developers on-board. The two foldable devices are also a first-look of the future Microsoft devices.