Microsoft is planning small foldable Surface due the first half of next year, a market research firm said.
The foldable Surface is expected to have two 9-inch screens with a 4:3 aspect ratio, Jeff Lin, Associate Director, Consumer Electronics at IHS Markit, told me in an email, citing "supply chain info."
It is due as early as the first quarter of 2020 or by the first half of 2020, Lin said.
Other details cited by IHS Markit include:
- Will use Windows 10 OS new version -- WCOS (Windows Core OS) -- for dual display UI (User Interface)
- Adopt Intel 10 nanometer (nm) system-on-a-chip (SOC) Lakefield*
- Run Android Apps and iCloud service in Windows 10
- Always on connectivity function (LTE or 5G)
Windows Central and The Verge reported early this year that Microsoft is preparing a dual-screen mobile device and more recently showed Microsoft demonstrating a dual-screen Surface.
Devices makers are expected to turn to foldable designs in the coming years as they strive to move mobile devices beyond long-established single-screen products.
Samsung is getting ready to deliver its Galaxy Fold again (after it pulled back from a glitchy initial launch) and Huawei is expected to ship the foldable Mate X this fall.
A Microsoft spokesperson said the company cannot comment on future products.