Long before the Galaxy Fold was unveiled, we kept hearing rumors that Microsoft was working on a foldable device of its own, a pocketable Surface Phone-like gadget that would run a special version of Windows 10. More recently, we heard that Microsoft has shown off a dual-screen Surface device behind closed doors, which means the company appears to be going forward with this project. A new rumor now tells us exactly what to expect from this folding Surface device in terms of specs, revealing that Microsoft plans to have Android apps run natively on the new Windows machine.
The foldable Surface tablet will pack a 9-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, according to IHS Markit’s Jeff Lin. He also told Forbes that Apple will launch the 16-inch MacBook Pro in September. Citing supply chain info, Lin told Forbes that the new Microsoft product is due next year, sometime in the first half of 2020.
The tablet will run Windows Core OS, the new Windows 10 version with a dual display UI, and it’ll pack an Intel 10nm Lakefield chip. The foldable Surface will also feature always-on connectivity thanks to support for either LTE or 5G — it’s unclear if it’ll support phone features, in which case we’d be talking about a real Surface Phone.
Most importantly, the device will run Android Apps natively. And interestingly enough, it’ll supposedly have iCloud support in Windows 10. It’s currently unclear whether the tablet will have Google Play installed, which would imply a Google-Microsoft deal, or whether Microsoft is creating an Android app store of its own.
We have no other details about the foldable Surface, but we’ll point out Microsoft isn’t the only company working on bigger foldable devices. Lenovo just demoed one recently, and it might release it before Microsoft launches the new foldable Surface.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Fold is still coming, while the Huawei Mate X has now been pushed back to September.
