Microsoft reveals Foldable Phone and Four New Surface Products

With the launch of Windows 11 approaching, Microsoft is rolling out a new line of Surface devices, including a foldable mobile device, new tablets and a fresh laptop.During an event on Wednesday, Microsoft revealed several gadgets that will run Windows 11, the latest operating system for PCs arriving on Oct. 5.Microsoft announced five new Surface products including the Surface Duo 2 phone, Surface Pro 8, Surface Go 3, Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Pro X.

Here’s a rundown of the new Surface devices:

Microsoft announced its first Surface Laptop Studio computer, which draws inspiration from its all-in-one Surface Studio 2 desktop, which still hasn’t been refreshed since 2018. The Surface Laptop Studio will replace Microsoft’s existing Surface Laptop and offers a new design.It has a special hinge that lets you tilt the 14-inch display at an angle that covers the keyboard, which brings the screen closer and makes it easier to write on. Or, you can flip it over and use the Laptop Studio like a tablet. Unlike the Surface Laptop, however, the screen doesn’t detach.Customers can conceal and charge the new Surface Slim Pen 2 beneath the Surface Laptop Studio’s keyboard. The new Surface Pen has a finer point than the model it replaces and contains a motor that gives haptic feedback in response to events in some programs. A haptic trackpad on the computer provides a more pleasant clicking experience than previous Surface machines

Microsoft also revealed three versions of the Surface Pro 2-in-1 tablets, which include detachable keyboards so they can be used as a laptop or tablet. The Surface Pro 8, which the tech giant says is twice as fast as the previous model, also boasts a larger 13-inch display and full high-definition cameras., the device also features support for Dolby Atmos sound and far-field studio mics. And like the Laptop Studio, the Pro 8 features Thunderbolt ports to support the use of external monitors or hard drives. It boasts up to 16 hours of battery life, Microsoft said.

Microsoft has unveiled its new foldable smartphone by the name of Surface Duo 2. Just like its predecessor, the new foldable by Microsoft comes with two large displays on either sides of a foldable form factor hinged from the middle. It is now powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and features a 8.3-inch PixelSense display when unfolded, that offers a 90 Hz refresh rate and is protected by a nano-coated 3D glass. Microsoft is calling it the slimmest 5G phone ever made.The new Microsoft device features a triple-lens camera setup at the back with a 16-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 12-megapixel wide angle lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. The latter two lenses come with optical image stabilisation (OIS) support. There is now a Glance Bar that appears at the edge of the Surface Duo 2 even when folded and lets users see notifications at a glance.Surface Duo 2 will be available in Glacier and Obsidian colour options.

Microsoft refreshed its Surface Go 3, a miniature version of its Surface Pro tablet. It starts at $400, without the keyboard, and can be configured with up to an Intel Core i3 chip, which Microsoft says is 60% faster than the chip used in last year’s Surface Go 2.The company said the Surface Go 3 gets up to 11 hours of battery life, while the older version got up to 10. A variant with built-in LTE connectivity will become available in the next few months but, notably, 5G support is missing.

Lastly, Microsoft announced a new Wi-Fi-only version of the Surface Pro X, a tablet that was first launched in 2019 with LTE cellular support. It’s the first version to come with just Wi-Fi and it costs $900, down just $100 from the original model, even though it has the same chip and lacks any other notable hardware changes.But, Windows 11 will enable the device to run specific 64-bit apps through emulation. That could mean people will be able to run more apps than they could when the first model launched.

Microsoft’s Ocean Plastic Mouse launching this October is part of the tech giant’s efforts toward sustainability. The mouse’s shell is made with 20% recycled ocean plastic, while the box it’s packed in is 100% recyclable.

The company is also releasing a Surface Adaptive Kit, created to make Surface devices more accessible. They include three-dimensional bump labels, indicators for ports, and openers to more easily open the lid or kickstand on a Surface device.