An unreleased prototype of Microsoft’s dual-screen foldable phone, the Surface Duo, designed to run a special version of the Windows Phone interface, has surfaced for sale on Goofish, a Chinese second-hand marketplace.
This prototype, which never saw commercial release, offers a glimpse into Microsoft’s early ambitions for a pocket-sized Windows-based device before the company ultimately pivoted to Android for its Surface Duo line. Microsoft’s journey into mobile phones spanned a significant portion of the 2010s and beyond, marked by both successes and challenges. The Surface Duo series, while innovative with its dual-screen design, faced criticism. The first-generation Surface Duo, released with Android, was plagued by a “jarring software experience full of bugs,” and its successor, while offering “slight upgrades,” was quickly outmoded by competing “true foldables” entering the market. A planned third generation, intended to address these issues, was ultimately canceled before development was complete.
Crucially, both commercially released Surface Duo models ran on Android. However, the recently listed prototypes on Goofish reveal an earlier vision for the device, running a version of the now-defunct Windows Phone interface. This prototype dispels previous notions, with Windows Central proposing that it operates on “Andromeda OS,” an operating system Microsoft conceived as an intermediate step between a regular phone and a Windows PC. This “Andromeda OS” was unfortunately never fully realized, as Microsoft opted for Android as the more viable operating system for the Surface Duo. Furthermore, a later plan by Microsoft to introduce a Windows-inspired Duo was also abandoned Duo was also abandoned Duo was also abandoned.
The prototype in question exhibits several notable differences from the first commercial Surface Duo. It features a monochrome camera designed to capture 3D footage for HoloLens devices, a metallic frame, and a mechanism for wireless stylus charging. These features were absent in the commercial Surface Duo 1, likely due to efforts to reduce hardware weight. Despite these distinctions, the prototype shares core design elements with the released Surface Duo, including a 360-degree hinge allowing the screens to rotate inwards and outwards, a prominent Windows logo on one of the panels, a generally squarish design, and thick bezels above and below the two screens. The existence of a prototype with a narrower shell on Goofish further underscores the various design iterations Microsoft explored before finalizing the commercial Surface Duo.
The Surface Duo, particularly if it had evolved into a truly folding display, held the potential to create a new product category bridging the gap between phones and personal computers. However, Microsoft made the decision to entirely “axe the project” in 2023, a move that CEO Satya Nadella later expressed regret over in an interview the same year.
The prototype is currently listed for sale at ¥98,999, which translates to approximately $13,730. This exorbitant price positions the device as a collector’s item rather than a practical purchase for most consumers, especially considering it is being sold on a less prominent peer-to-peer selling platform.
