Surface Duo: Microsoft is improving the pen support based on Android

Microsoft intends to gain a strong position in the market of foldable devices. We got to know more details about Surface Duo – a convertible device that will appear at the end of the year.

Surface Duo has strong specifications – Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB RAM and 11MP camera. It is not yet final, which is not surprising when we consider that Microsoft has over half a year to refine it. We already know that we will receive with it the Surface Pen stylus, which is to significantly increase the pleasure of using the device. It will allow not only writing, but also choosing options and moving between displays. It will have pressure detection and gesture support, such as double-click detection (to take a screenshot), or use of shortcuts to open applications.

Surface Duo: Microsoft is improving the pen support based on Android

One big issue is the delays – because Duo has two displays, it uses two Bluetooth transmitters at the same time. It also allows the accessory to work smoothly, for example, when you draw something in a graphics program, you can start on one screen and switch to the other immediately. To operate it, they will use the MotionEvent.getToolType function from the Android platform. We also know that Microsoft has also improved several elements in Chromium, which is to improve web browsing on Surface Duo and other stylus devices.

Surface Duo should work under Android 10, but will receive Android 11 very soon after Google releases its stable version. The applications will have optimizations for operation on two screens – the manufacturer announces that it will finish this process at the beginning of June. For now, the Duo price remains one big secret.

MICROSOFT SURFACE DUO LEAKED SPECS

According to previous leaks, the new Surface Duo sports 5.6-inch displays with 1800×1350 resolution each and is 4.8mm thick. Under the hood, the Surface Duo boasts Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC that comes alongside 6GB of RAM. The choice of an old chipset isn’t a big surprise since Microsoft finalized the internal design before Qualcomm’s requirement of a separate 5G chip with the SD865 was known. The company doesn’t have room anymore for the extra chip, and also it’s too late to make a change like this one.

As per the internal storage, the Surface Duo will come in two flavors – one with 64GB storage and another one with 256GB. The handset has a single camera with 11MP f/2.0 1.12um. The new leak also confirms that the two panels are AMOLED displays with 401 pixels-per-inch. Moreover, the new slate will have USB-C fast-charging and a 3,460mAh battery.