Microsoft Surface: Long-lost Surface Duo prototypes surface in marketplace leaks running Windows
Newly surfaced prototype images have provided a look at Microsoft's Andromeda project, years after its cancellation. Discovered on Chinese marketplace GooFish, the photos show multiple colour variants including a two-tone option that did not makes its way to eventual Surface Duo or Surface Duo 2 units.
Seemingly, all these prototypes date between 2017 and 2018. According to Windows Central, Microsoft was developing Andromeda with Windows Core OS, which it subsequently ceased developing too. On the face of it, Andromeda looks similar to the Surface Duo with two displays fused by a pair of hinges, with a noticeable gap between each element.
However, the prototype has a rear-facing camera that Microsoft only added with the Surface Duo 2. On top of that, Andromeda contained an indent for the camera to sit within when the device was folded back on itself. In other words, Microsoft had solved one of the questionable design choices with the Surface Duo 2 years before its inception.
Apparently, Andromeda was a pen-first experience, unlike the eventual Surface Duo series. The device was slated to offer Surface Slim Pen (curr. $106 on Amazon) wireless charging too, as well as a rear-facing monochrome sensor that handled 3D object scanning. On top of that, the prototypes featured a metal frame, which was cancelled along with wireless charging and the monochrome sensor when Microsoft pivoted to the original Surface Duo. Please see the images and Goofish listings linked below for more information about Microsoft's long-lost dual-screen prototypes.
Source(s)
Goofish (1) (2) (3) via Windows Central
