Microsoft has given up on dual-display smartphones.

Microsoft has given up on dual-display smartphones. The next Surface Duo will be similar to the Galaxy Fold.

Microsoft's next Surface Duo series smartphone will no longer be a device with dual internal displays. This is reported by Windows Central, citing industry sources. After long experiments and the creation of a series of prototypes, the company decided to choose a more traditional design for modern flexible smartphones with a hinge that allows rotation of 180 degrees and an additional external display.

It is reported that the decision to launch the new type of flexible device came after the "dual" design of the Surface Duo 3 was poorly approved - deliveries of such smartphones were planned for the end of 2023. The halves of the smartphone were expected to be taller and thinner than previous models in the series, and the new model was also expected to get wireless charging and other improvements.

Now, however, the previous design has been scrapped and the Surface team has focused on developing a more familiar flexible smartphone for consumers. According to some reports, Microsoft is already considering a flexible, large-screen variant as a successor to the Surface Duo 2 from late 2021 - after another foldable model with two displays, poorly optimized for Android, received very poor reviews. The exact specifications of the new device are still unknown, and according to the sources, there are no specific dates for the release of Microsoft's Galaxy Fold-style smartphone - it does not look like the variant will appear even this fall.

Of course, a change in form factor can also lead to a name change. It is possible that the company will rebrand it, giving up the Duo brand. However, sources tell us that the company is considering the third-generation Duo for now.

The same sources inform that the company is working intensively on a solution that gives the new smartphone an important advantage over competitors in the same form factor. The Perfect Together project aims to ensure that Android devices and Microsoft Windows computers work together effectively - roughly the same "empathy" that already characterizes iPhones and Macs. The company is said to be looking to expand its Android smartphone lineup by exploring different form factors other than flexible devices. There are reports that Microsoft is developing several traditional smartphone monoblocks that will be distributed in the market.

In general, the publication's sources are confident that Microsoft is actively working on hardware and software for Android, and in the near future no return to attempts to create exotic variants of the mobile operating system such as Windows 10x is expected.