Microsoft’s Surface Neo has already been through an overview video, official teasers and comparison with the Surface Duo, and now the inside look of the dual-screen has been revealed in a hardware teardown courtesy of Chinese users.
Surface Neo was unveiled in October 2019 at an event where the company announced its plan to focus on dual-screen products. At the same event, Microsoft announced Windows 10X, a new version of the desktop operating system designed for dual-screen devices, such as the Neo and Lenovo ThinkPad Fold.
It’s been one and half a year since the last big Surface event and Surface Neo is still missing. While Microsoft has officially confirmed that Windows 10X is now being optimized for single-screen PCs, there’s no word on the future of Surface Neo.
It’s clear that it’s been delayed. In fact, Microsoft has already pulled the Surface Neo product listing from the official website. A few months after the product listing was removed, Microsoft also pulled the Surface Neo teasers from its YouTube channel, with a Microsoft spokesperson saying:
We do not have any updates to share at this time.
Now, a new video of the dual-screen prototype has appeared online and it has revealed several internal components that confirm many of the specifications that Microsoft already announced in 2019, including split battery design.
Overall, Surface Neo has multiple component boards that fit tightly inside a thin form factor.
In the actual Surface Neo, there’s a lot of stuff under the hood, which includes two batteries and an Intel processor, but no 5G. Other components are also split across both sides and Microsoft is using ribbon cables to connect the two sides of the dual-screen hardware.
According to the leaker, the Surface Neo has been cancelled, which is not the case.
The product hasn’t been cancelled yet and it has only been delayed indefinitely. Microsoft hasn’t publicly said Neo is dead, but the company confirmed it’s pausing the development of the device.
With Surface Duo and the upcoming Surface Duo 2, Microsoft wants to test the water and understand the requirements of the consumer base before going bold with Windows 10X-powered Surface Neo.
It’s also likely that Surface Neo will undergo major changes in the next 6-12 months.
Surface Neo has two nine-inch displays and it supports 360-degree rotation, thanks to the hinge. According to leaked benchmarks, Surface Neo has been tested with Intel’s Lakefield chip and delayed version of Windows 10X.