More details are coming out confirming previous reports of Microsoft’s ambitious reinvent of a dual-screened mobile device. Codenamed ‘Andromeda’, the new Surface hardware features a pocketable device with a wraparound screen that hinges out to form a tablet-like experience.
Tom Warren and The Verge have obtained internal documentation from the Redmond-based company that discuss the form factor and format-straddling device:
Microsoft describes its Andromeda project as something the company has quietly incubated internally, and that will create a “new and disruptive” device category to influence the overall Surface roadmap and blur the lines between what’s considered PC and mobile. “It’s a new pocketable Surface device form factor that brings together innovative new hardware and software experiences to create a truly personal and versatile computing experience,” is exactly how Microsoft describes the device internally
Microsoft refused to comment on the document’s contents, but it backs up discussions and information presented through other sources, including the concept renders put together by David Breyer late last year:
@zacbowden @h0x0d @windowscentral #Surface Andromeda Render according to the latest patents pic.twitter.com/CmbvlfETtU
— David Breyer (@D_Breyer) December 18, 2017
Smartphones and smaller mobile devices have been a blind spot for Microsoft in recent years. Although Windows Mobile held its own in the first generation of smartphones in the early 21st century, both Android and iOS capitalised on the move to touch based devices. While I would argue that the core product and design choices of Windows Phone offered a compelling alternative, the boat had sailed before all of the ducks were in a row.
Andromeda, leaning on Windows 10 and Microsoft’s mature cloud services, offers a signpost to a future that Microsoft would quite like the geekerati to follow - both in terms of individual users and how they interact with their digital devices and in terms of manufacturers and their upcoming designs. Certainly the last few iterations of the Surface Pro, as well as the Surface Book and Surface Laptop have influenced design trends across a broad range of devices.
When the only decent new design trend in the mobile space is ‘the notch, the idea that the Surface Andromeda can bring a new angle to the staid design of current smartphones is very appealing.
Current expectations are that Microsoft will announce the Surface Andromeda device in Q4 2018, with OEM partners releasing similar form-factors after the launch.
Now read more about Microsoft’s Surface plans for the near future…
