Microsoft could be hammering Android 11 into shape for its dual-screen Surface Duo
Microsoft’s Surface Duo team has already begun work on bringing Android 11 to the dual-screen device, according to the latest rumor.
We’ve already heard that Surface Duo will launch with Android 10 on board – the first version of Google’s mobile OS to be fully optimized for foldable screens – and that Android 11 support would follow relatively swiftly.
Now, according to what Windows Latest has heard from an unspecified source, Microsoft is already beavering away at support for Android 11, and an update for the Duo could even arrive in the first month after the device launches.
Speaking of the launch, the most recent speculation has it that Surface Duo should go on sale in the next couple of months, in order to arrive on shelves before Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 2 (which is itself rumored to be looking at an August 5 launch).
So this new rumor could be indicating that this might not be the case, after all, given that if Android 11 is set to come to Surface Duo within the first few weeks post-launch, the OS is obviously not going to be ready for August (the initial Android 11 beta only just dropped, after all).
Android 11 could be out in September, mind, so while the potential timeframes are close, they seemingly don’t quite marry up here.
Positive sign?
Still, if Microsoft has just begun serious work on the Android 11 implementation for Surface Duo, hopefully that’s at least a good sign that we might get something which runs solidly from the get-go.
Of course, bear in mind that this – and indeed the recent rumor about the much earlier launch (originally Surface Duo was expected to debut at the end of 2020) – are just theories floating down from the grapevine, so it’s not surprising that all the pieces don’t quite fit; and indeed ultimately may not pan out.
As ever, temper your expectations appropriately, and bear in mind that there is extra potential for disruption of any plans given the ongoing situation with coronavirus. But at least if Microsoft is set to spring Surface Duo for an early launch inside the next two months, we should be hearing more concrete info about that soon enough.