Chime in: Will Apple, Samsung release a folding 'phablet' before Microsoft?

Microsoft Patent
Microsoft Patent (Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft hasn't had much luck in mobile. Following Windows 10 Mobile's catastrophic failure, all eyes have been on the near-mythical Surface "Andromeda" folding tablet, which sounds as though it could represent Microsoft's next attempt to break into the mobile market. However, Redmond isn't the only company looking to jump on the bandwagon.

Rumors have been circulating that Apple, Samsung, and other Android heavyweights are looking to jump onto the folding phone bandwagon, which hasn't even really materialized beyond prototypes and blog posts. Can Microsoft find differentiation for Surface's attempt when faced with iOS and Android-based solutions? That's a discussion taking place in our forums right now.

Ok, so the hype war for the foldable market is just beginning, but it seems Microsoft's horse has been taken out of the stalls and shot in the head by the press before the race has started: https://a.msn.com/r/2/AAxzDMH?m=en-gb&ocid=News So, how will a foldable tablet compete, in hype terms, against a bunch of foldable tablets that are also set to be great phones? I have a feeling that...

AndyCalling

I don't have a huge amount of faith in Microsoft to turn Andromeda into a success story, which might sound like a weird thing to say given that we don't even know if it exists as a consumer product at this point. But perhaps the company doesn't need it to be a big success, and instead, it can find some sort of niche that lives somewhere between laptop, tablet, and phone.

Where do you stand? Hit our forums and let us know.

From the forums: Surface not-Phone already losing the hype war?

Jez Corden
Co-Managing Editor

Jez Corden is a Managing Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by tea. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his XB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!