Google really loves Microsoft’s Surface Duo dual-screen phone

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Google believes in Microsoft’s dual-screen future

Surface Duo
(Image credit: Hiroshi Lockheimer)

One of the most senior Android executives has shown off his Surface Duo device, hinting that Google is mightily impressed with Microsoft’s upcoming dual-screen phone.

While we’ve seen the Surface Duo being shown off by various Microsoft employees, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella back in January, the fact that it’s being shown off by people at Google suggests that the company is really getting behind Microsoft’s upcoming phone – and hints that the two companies are working together to make sure it’s a hit.

An image of the Surface Duo was tweeted by Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president of Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, Photos and communication products, who’s clearly a big fan of the device.

A Microsoft phone that’s worth getting?

Although Microsoft has been trying to avoid calling the Surface Duo a smartphone, that’s what it is, essentially, as it’s a communication device that can make and receive calls.

It has two 5.6-inch screens that can turn it into an 8.3-inch tablet-like device, and unlike previous phones by Microsoft, it runs Google's hugely popular Android operating system.

This could be key to its success, as previous Microsoft phones ran its unloved Windows Mobile OS, which suffered from a lack of apps.

Teaming up with Google seems to have paid off, and Microsoft has been working with the company to create a version of Google that runs on a dual screen device.

Microsoft is also working on a larger Surface Neo device that runs Windows 10X, a version of Windows 10 made for dual screen devices, but that has recently been announced as being delayed until 2021.

The Surface Duo, however, is still pegged for a holiday 2020 release, and if it’s now in the hands of higher ups at Google, it seems like Microsoft is confident that it’s ready to ship soon.

Via MSPowerUser

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Matt Hanson
Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.