It now seems like ages since Microsoft released a modern smartphone with the last being the Lumia 650, which made its debut in February, 2016. During the 20 months since, there have been plenty of rumors here and there about what the firm might introduce next as a replacement.
While the codename "Andromeda" has been popping up every now and again and is said to be a multi-display device that will re-introduce Microsoft"s efforts into the mobile space, it appears that Brad Sams of Thurrott has some more detailed information in regards to the device. Like we have heard in the past, it will be a smaller unit with a foldable display. The firm is apparently working to optimize apps to work on the platform, meaning that Microsoft is internally testing dual-panel UWP software. It will also take advantage of the Pen that goes beyond its current use with expanded support in apps like Mail, Calendar and more.
Another juicy nugget of information is that apparently, Alex Kipman, who is responsible for Kinect and more recently HoloLens, is helping out the team when it comes to the device"s displays. This could be an indication that the firm wants to offer something more than just standard displays in the Andromeda, perhaps even going holographic. However, Sams stresses that this is just rumor and more details will need to be uncovered in order to flesh out this portion of the story.
As you can probably gather, this isn"t really going to be a phone when it arrives to market, but more of a new kind of portable device that will offer support for phone calls. Sams closes by stating that Andromeda will NOT be the Surface Phone, that this will be Microsoft"s "exploration into new hardware".
For now, this is something to think about and if it does arrive to market, would this interest you? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Thurrott