The World’s First Midrange Foldable Phone Was Cancelled: A Closer Look

Foldables have taken the scene by storm in recent years. Prime options like the Galaxy Fold/Flips, OPPO Find N, and Moto RAZR dominate the market – albeit all supplied with hefty price tags outside the normal person’s reach. This issue isn’t considered a huge concern by manufacturers due to the availability of decently-powered budget phones. Well, there is sad news for the entire tech industry: the world’s reportedly first midrange foldable phone was axed and will probably never see the light of day.

The device in question is the plastic version of the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. The original was announced in September last year sporting a Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB of RAM, and dual 5.8-inch AMOLED displays. Unlike what we’ve seen with the Samsung Z Fold lineup, there is no outside screen for those who don’t want to unfold the device while outside. Instead, it is just like a folded tablet with the Microsoft logo embedded on its cover. Both 90Hz screens were covered with industry-leading Gorilla Glass Victus with the high-end unit offering support for pens and quick charging of its sizeable 4449 mAh battery. Due to these meaty specifications, the unit cost around $1500 USD which is just in line with other foldables within its domain.

Well, a report by Windows Central found a leaked eBay listing of the “lite” version of the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. Nicknamed the Cronos, it sports some significant changes from the original which can already be perceived from the outside. The material used in construction has been shifted to a durable plastic, while the curved displays have been substituted in favor of regular flat ones. In this instance, this removal of the curve eliminates the “glance” feature which the vanilla model boasted with users gaining access to notifications without needing to unfold their devices.

The camera module is also reduced to a smaller dual-camera array with a singular flash. On the Duo 2 the imaging performance was just alright, but we suspect some software tweaks could bring out the full potential of these sensors.

We personally think that the processor would have been a midrange Snapdragon chip such as the 778G, while the company would have settled for a Full HD, 90Hz, non-Victus display. Other specifications would have been tamed down as well as not to cannibalize sales of its pricier sibling.

Rumors speculate that this midrange foldable phone was supposed to be dubbed the “Surface Duo Go” in production but we’ll never really find out. Microsoft has chosen to focus on the development of the successor to the Duo 2, which we’re eagerly awaiting now.

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