After the official renderings of the Microsoft Surface Duo were leaked just weeks before its rumored release date, more rumor smoke is rising, thanks to AT&T leaking photos of the Duo itself on their site
This comes just days after Evan Blass posted a set of leaked photos of the Duo from all angles (see below) Today's leak was discovered by MSPoweruser, who shared another image from ATTcom, which has since been deleted
Blass did not offer much comment (as usual), but he claims the leak is specific to the Surface Duo sold by AT&T (which was confirmed in the latest leak) And it should hit the market before Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2 hits in September
Frankly, there is not much that looks different from the recent leaks or the original teaser information released by Microsoft nearly a year ago The only real difference we can see is the flash in the upper right corner of the open handset
What is more interesting is what Microsoft's first smartphone looks like software-wise after the company finally stopped experimenting with Windows Phone in 2016 This is clearly an Android device, despite the fact that it comes with Microsoft's flagship products Edge, OneNote, Teams, LinkedIn, Office, and Outlook
First, there is the requisite Google folder, with Maps, Chrome, Google, and Gmail icons clearly visible sticking out; the Play Store and YouTube are centered on the home screen, and there is even a Google search bar at the top of the left screen Bing?
In terms of third-party apps, there is only Spotify on the home page, but curiously there also seem to be Facebook Messenger and Twitter notifications in the upper left corner, a bit of a taste of the real world
It won't be too long until we see what Microsoft's take on Android looks like in person; the Surface Duo was originally slated to launch during the 2020 holiday season, but the company has been working on the device to compete with Samsung's foldable Galaxy Z Fold 2, but the company has reportedly moved it up so that it can compete with Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2 Rumor has it that the device will be announced on August 24, a week before Samsung promises more details about its own foldable
Previous Surface Duo leaks point to a device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and 6GB RAM, with rumored 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage configurations
The Surface Duo's two screens will be 56-inch 1800 x 1350 AMOLED displays with a single 11-megapixel camera for both selfies and regular photos; it will run Android 10 and have a 3,460 mAh battery The company plans to offer two large screens, but it is currently unknown how they will support two large screens
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a different kind of foldable phone, with a 62-inch outer display that can be used when the device is closed The inner display is 76 inches when folded and has a refresh rate of 120 Hz Samsung also designed a new hinge that can stay open at multiple angles, added fibers under the hinge to sweep away dust and debris, and narrowed the gap when the phone is closed
Samsung has yet to reveal full specs for the Z Fold 2, but expect a newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor and a battery with a 4,380 mAh capacity like the original
Overall, the Surface Duo looks attractive, but pricing and how well the software works between dual displays will determine how it stacks up against the Galaxy Z Fold 2
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