Microsoft (MSFT  ) announced that it's releasing its new Surface Duo phone on September 10th for $1,399. The price tag is slightly lower than other foldable phones, and it comes with three years of security and OS updates. Two noteworthy items about it are that it will be a dual-screen device and on the Android OS. Interestingly, the device is not 5G supported, while Apple (AAPL  ) and Samsung are rolling out 5G devices in the fall.

Microsoft has been dropping public hints about the device. Of course, Microsoft's Windows phone had been a disaster and the line of devices was discontinued in 2016. Its found some success with its Surface-line of laptops and tablets, and this marks its reentry into mobile hardware. The device will be on the Android software. Using Windows Mobile wasn't an option, since there wouldn't be any apps available for the phone.

For most of the past decade, the company has been shifting towards enterprise customers as its server business, Azure cloud division, and Office-subscription has powered the company's gains to becoming the second-most valuable company in the world. However, its phone and interest in buying TikTok show that the company might be looking to expand into other segments.

Surface Duo Specs

The Surface Due will have two separate 5.6-inch displays that can be combined to form one 8.1 inch screen when folded separately. Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Fold, Microsoft's will have Gorilla Glass, and the unfolded device is supposed to work like multiple monitors on a PC, meaning that multiple apps can run simultaneously on different screens.

The phone will have a special AI feature that will automatically fit apps on dual screens. For example, certain apps like the Kindle reader or a video may play on both screens, while certain apps will just run on one screen. App designers can also customize their apps to work best on various layouts. In theory, this will make phones more powerful as it will allow someone to do multiple things. It also gives a bigger screen, close to a tablet, which will increase its use as a productivity device. The phone is designed in mind with users of Microsoft Office and Teams, so that users can video chat and also look at a document or open an email, click on a link, have it open on the second screen.

The basic version will be powered by the Qualcomm (QCOM  ) Snapdragon and have 6 GB of RAM with 256 GB of storage. It will be immediately available on AT&T (T  ), T-Mobile (TMUS  ), and Verizon (VZ  ) networks. Microsoft says the battery life will last for 15.5 hours of video playback, 10 days of standby, and 27 hours of talk time.