Microsoft Surface Duo smartphone with dual-screen design may launch in July

Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch its first dual screen smartphone, the Surface Duo, in late July. According to Windows Central's Zac Bowden, Microsoft may be planning to launch the Surface Duo in the coming weeks in order to beat the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, which is expected to launch on August 5.

"I'm told Microsoft wants to launch Surface Duo before the Galaxy Fold 2 is announced. So, before August 5th? We're getting close. Assuming plans don't change, Surface Duo should start shipping in less than 2 months," Zac said in a tweet.

However, Zac did note that the timelines may change, presumably due to the unrest in the US and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Contrary to Zac’s view, the Microsoft official website lists the device for 2020 Holiday launch.

Unveiled in 2019, the Microsoft Surface Duo is expected to come with mid-range specs, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, 6GB RAM, and either 64GB or 256GB of storage.

The device is expected to feature a single 11-megapixel camera sensor above the right display that will be used for both front and rear-facing photos and videos. The smartphone has two equal-sized 5.6-inch AMOLED displays. Each screen offers a 4:3 aspect ratio of 1800 x 1350 pixels resolution and 401ppi pixel density.

The Surface Duo's two displays are held together with a fully rotating hinge that can be adjusted to any angle. The device is powered by Android operating system and is expected to come with apps from Microsoft.

Surface Duo will ship with a 3,460mAh battery and has USB-C fast charging.

It won't support 5G, maxing out at 4G LTE speeds instead. It is also speculated that the device lacks support for wireless charging and NFC.