Microsoft prices folding Surface Duo phone at $1,399
Microsoft has said the Surface Duo, its newest dual-screen Android smartphone, will have a starting price of $1,399.
The phone folds shut like a book, opting for two separate screens that are synchronised rather than one screen that folds in the middle like recent launches from Huawei and Samsung.
The Surface Duo will arrive in stores from 10 September, but will only be available in the US at launch.
Microsoft said pre-orders for the device will start today on its own website and a select number of US retailers. It will not have 5G connectivity.
Microsoft executives said the Surface Duo could serve as a business tool with its productivity apps — for example, having a video chat using Teams on one screen while replying to emails on Outlook on the other.
Thanks to Google’s Android operating system, users will also be able to pair up non-Microsoft apps, such as running Twitter and Instagram side by side.
Previous Microsoft phones have used its own operating system, leaving it behind the competition without access to a wide-range of apps.
“Having the Play Store is critical,” said Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer.
Microsoft gave no timeline for upcoming launches of the Surface Duo in other markets.
The software giant is currently in talks to buy the US operations of popular short-form video app Tiktok, which if successful, would mark Microsoft’s first major foray into consumer social media.