Microsoft Surface Duo caught on video — see it in action now

Surface Duo
(Image credit: Microsoft)

The Microsoft Surface Duo looks poised to launch very soon, as a new video has popped up featuring Microsoft execs messing around with the company’s foldable device. 

In a rather bizarre video that’s linked to Microsoft’s "The Shiproom" YouTube series that explores various companies using Microsoft tools, the company’s corporate president of commercial management experiences Brad Anderson was seen using the Surface Duo. While it wasn’t showed off in depth, the video did hint at how it would be a tool to support the control of other devices and software. 

In the video, Anderson is seen changing the green screen background of The Shiproom set, all through the Surface Duo. Whether the Microsoft phone-not-phone will actually be able to do this isn’t clear. 

But it shows two things. One, that the Surface Duo will likely have tight integration will all manner of tools linked to Microsoft’s own software and third-party apps that work well on Android and Windows 10. And two, that the Surface Duo is pretty much ready for release.

Given the Surface Duo has FCC and Bluetooth SIG listings, which normally pop up just before a device is ready to be launched, it's looking likely that the Surface Duo could arrive very soon. Originally slated for a release at the end of 2020, the Duo could arrive in August or September.

When the Surface Duo does arrive, it will bring a rather unusual dual-screen foldable device to the tech world. 

Tipped to feature dual 1800 x 1350 displays, a Snapdragon 855 CPU and 6GB of RAM, the Surface Duo looks poised to clash with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 in terms of specs. But while the latter is a true foldable device with a flexible display, the Surface Duo has two separate screens connected by a slim hinge to allow the device to be folded into a suite of modes.

When one considers that it will use an interface heavily modified to look like a smartphone version of Windows 10, and it will work with a slim Surface Pen stylus, the Surface Duo looks more geared-up for productivity that the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is set to be revealed on August 5, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Watch 3, and Galaxy Tab S7. So if the Surface Duo arrives sometime in August, it could be a very interesting time to see which foldable device offers the most appeal.

Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.