Microsoft is about to launch its 'Surface Duo' folding Android device, filing suggests

The device has two screens and unfolds like a book

The Surface Duo marks the first time Microsoft has used the Android operating system in one of its phones (Microsoft)

Microsoft’s dual-screen foldable, the Surface Duo, is seemingly close to launch.

The device has appeared in both FCC filings and, today, the Bluetooth SIG certification page.

Products which appear in these listings are usually only a few weeks away from launch.

The Surface Duo was announced in 2019, and uses Google’s Android operating system rather than the Windows operating system that was on its now-defunct Windows Phones or laptops.

“This product brings together the absolute best of Microsoft, and we’re partnering with Google to bring the absolute best of Android in one product,” said Microsoft product chief Panos Panay said at the time. “This is industry-pushing technology.”

The Duo will have two 5.6-inch screens, which fold out for a 8.3-inch device.

The device was doing to launch “Holiday 2020”.

Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay recently tweeted an image of himself using the Microsoft Duo, implying that the product is near completion.

According to sources speaking to The Verge, the company had originally planned to roll out the Surface Duo and other dual-screen devices at its Build conference but due to the coronavirus that had to be delayed.

Instead, Microsoft is expected to ship the device by the end of September.

Microsoft is not the only company imminently launching a foldable device. Samsung is launching the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, and is expected to announce the sequel to its Galaxy Fold imminently.

Huawei also released a second version of its Mate X smartphone, called the Mate XS.

Each of these devices fold in different ways: Microsoft’s Duo unfolds like a book, as does the Galaxy Fold – albeit with a screen on the front.

The Mate XS, meanwhile, unfolds the other way, with the second screen wrapped around the back as if you were bending the spine back on a novel.