Microsoft experimented with various developments for its entry into the foldable device segment, but not all of them ended up making it to market. This was the case of the Surface Neo, a tablet that was announced for launch and was later cancelled.
Another of the models with which the Redmond firm experimented was a Surface Duo Mini that has appeared on eBay, with included images that you see in the item. Under the code name ‘Chronos’, it is a lighter and cheaper version of the Surface Duo 2 smartphone. It was supposed to be released later this year, but it has definitely been canceled to invest all efforts in the new generation of the folding for 2023.
Surface Duo Mini considerably lowered the level of design and performance of the regular model in order to lower the sale price and bring it closer to mass consumption. Its chassis was made of polycarbonate compared to the magnesium alloy commonly used in all Surface.
It featured a smaller camera bump, a slightly more rounded external design with a matte finish, and flat rather than curved screens. Its internal engine was a mid-range Snapdragon from Qualcomm, surely without support for 5G broadband networks.
It is obvious that the entire focus of this ‘Mini’ was focused on lowering the final sale price of the device. And I was still using Android and not the Windows Mobile for which some sigh.
Lower the price It is a pending issue that extends to the rest of the segment. The new generation of folding devices, with double screens or flexible screens, are fantastic and the most advanced in the mobile market, but their high price distances them from mass consumption.
Samsung absolutely dominates the market with two different series, including the Galaxy Z Fold4 which is -without question- the best folding mobile on the market. The new versions that will be announced in August do not seem that they will lower the price level. But the arrival of a folding iPhone is only a matter of time and can turn the market around. Apple cannot let Samsung monopolize the new folding screen or double screen formats that – without yet obtaining massive sales due to their high cost – are followed by a greater number of consumers with each new generation that arrives on the market.
Surface Duo Mini could have been a good entry model to access mass consumption, but like other devices in development, it definitely fell by the wayside. We do not exclude that Microsoft and other manufacturers bet on this type of versions in the future.
