Surface Duo Discussion Thread

Just rotate it 180 degrees clockwise then...

 

Maybe; maybe not...

https://www.neowin.net/news/microsofts-surface-duo-might-launch-as-early-as-this-summer

(Courtesy of NeoWin site)

Another, somewhat more informative report:

https://www.onmsft.com/news/new-rep...uo-specs-suggests-it-could-launch-this-summer

(Courtesy of OnMSFT site)

 

@Steve S - following the links inside those stories led to Zac Bowden's original comments:

"I'm told that Microsoft is hoping to have all the software done by early April, and that Surface Duo could start shipping in limited quantities in time for the summer if everything goes according to plan. I expect that this initial launch will be aimed primarily at developers and enthusiasts, with its availability announced in the spring alongside the Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3."

Developers = subsidized

Enthusiasts = nosebleed?

These observation, however, are very disconcerting:

"Surface Duo has had a long, hard journey internally. Microsoft started working on it back in 2016 under the codename Andromeda, and the plan was for Surface Duo to be one of the first products to ship with Windows Core OS. Under those plans, the product was supposed to launch in 2018, but that changed when Microsoft dumped Windows for Android instead.

Because of this, the hardware has essentially been ready to go for two years, with only iterative changes being made to the device since. This might explain why Surface Duo doesn't have slim bezels or multiple camera sensors. These were only just starting to be a thing on smartphones launching in 2018. In 2020, thin bezels, 5G, and multiple cameras are pretty much the norm."

Frankly 5G won't have much impact out here in the sticks for some time, but the overall thought that it is potentially a two year old design does explain the big bezels, chip choice, and not using waterfall screens on the interior hinge to make it a less jarring divide between the screens.

 

PS - if it starts at $1400 (rumored) for 6GB RAM, 64GB SSD, and no mSDXC support, that is going to be a hard pill to swallow...

 

somewhat unrelated....but I got see and hold and Galaxy Fold at Best Buy today (for the past few weeks, its been in a see-only casing)..... Being able to hold it... I was quite impressed by it....the crease in the middle of the screen is only really visible when held at an angle...looking at the screen directly you really can't see the crease....and touching it its barley noticeable. But I also used (well...pretended to use) my S-pen on it...when drawing on the screen...you can't feel the crease at all...and the screen feels fairly stable when flat. Despite the high price tag and the potential build quality issues...... had this had an S-pen....I would probably would buy one right now....I could totally see myself sketching on this thing everywhere. As much as I was interested in the Duo......the lack of a front screen when folded.... and the screen separation I feel would be fairly significant cons....as least compared to a device like the fold.

 

You sure got my attention this morning. You'd have to believe the Fold 2 will have the Z Fold improved screen, and if it truly has S Pen support, it would be a killer device as a real phone and tablet. My concern is how do they ever get the Wacom digitizer layer to fold - or are we doomed to another AES device?

I finally dug out the specs, and attached a comparison of the Galaxy Fold to an iPad Mini 5 - so close and even more tempting if Wacom EMR:

 

I will be shocked it they could get EMR in it.......I mean.......the engineering hurdle would be significant...but a few years back, I made that same assumption with EMR on curved edged screens....and well they did find a way around that. But I think AES might be the better choice.....when folded the Fold is kind of thick......EMR add's to the thickness (however marginally)...so every bit does help.

But is AES really that bad? Granted I don't have any AES devices....but I've used plenty at Best Buy....it has decent hovering speed....so I can tell its better then the bottom of the barrel MPP that microsoft gives out to everyone. But even MPP.....if its at the Surface Level with the Slim Pen.....(as the Duo/Neo would have)....I"m so pleasantly enjoying drawing with my Pro 5 & Slim Pen........that if it comes down to a Slim Pen toting Surface Duo or a EMR S-pen toting Galaxy Note Fold.......I could say without doubt the difference in pen tech wouldn't really weight on my choice at all. (unless they did something stupid and omitted the pixel sense accelerator on the Duo like they did with the GO)

 

My whole problem is that I think a folding device, like the Duo, will still be a better solution for a few more years as they work out folding tech.

 

Ok, I don't understand why there is such mystique surrounding this. The EMR sensor lines can be printed on a flexible substrate, and it has been done before.

During CES2019 a Wacom rep actually held out such a flexible EMR digitizer:


~@0:24 of this video:


Other (non-Wacom) flexible EMR tablet pads have even been commercially released, such as the Gaomon S56K:


And as I discussed in the first X1 Fold thread, the engineering challenge
is signal interference in folded positions, but have a feeling they'll just deactivate the digitizer below a certain screen angle.