Surface Duo Slim fan concept shows a different kind of folding phone from Microsoft

By Sean Endicott
last updated

This Surface Duo Slim concept shows a dream of a different kind of Microsoft foldable.

Surface Slim Phone Concept
Surface Slim Phone Concept (Image credit: Sapounii via Reddit)

What you need to know

  • A recent piece of fan concept art shows what a Surface Duo Slim could look like.
  • The hypothetical device folds horizontally rather than vertically like the Surface Duo and Duo 2.
  • The Surface Duo Slim concept looks quite a bit like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, though it features two screens rather than a single foldable display.

The Surface Duo 2 improved on the original Duo and has become a more alluring device following a price drop, but its form factor isn't for everyone. If you're interested in a folding phone with two screens that are stacked vertically rather than horizontally, Reddit has a concept image for you. Reddit user Sapounii recently shared a Surface Duo Slim concept.

In contrast with the Surface Duo 2, which folds like a hot dog (the long way), the Surface Duo Slim concept folds like a hamburger. To put it in smartphone terms, the Duo Slim concept looks more like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 than the Surface Duo. The main difference between the hypothetical Microsoft device and Samsung's folding smartphone is that the Duo Slim has two screens rather than one folding one.

Source: Sapounii via Reddit (Image credit: Source: Sapounii via Reddit)

The concept shows a device with the standard Surface design elements, such as a light grey body and the Surface logo. It also has a single camera and a flash that look reminiscent of old Lumia phones.

While the device looks unique, Reddit users questioned its practicality. The line through the center of the device would split apps in half rather than allowing you to run apps side-by-side, that is, unless you want to run tiny 4:3 apps. "There is no way that you don't mind the line in the middle. [It's] like a broken flip from the start," said nolan816.

If you're into wacky and unique foldable phones, make sure to check out the Pokémon Edition of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 that was recently teased. It doesn't have a Microsoft logo or the Surface branding, but its design looks like a Pokédex. It also actually exists and will launch later this week in South Korea.

Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com (opens in new tab).

30 Comments
  • And it runs.... Android. (sighs)😪😪
  • Do we cry over fan concepts now? 😂
  • If my smart fridge doesn't run Windows, I'm throwing it out. If my hypothetical firstborn doesn't run Windows, I'm putting them up for adoption. If my heart doesn't run Windows, I'm going to strap myself to a chair and force myself to watch CW shows until the organ stops pumping blood to the rest of my body.
  • Lol nice one 😅
  • how dare you... Smallville was a good show....😒 after all its the only one I felt an interest toward in CW. And you forgot to add "if my wife doesn't run windows, I will throw her out of a window" Its best to be thorough about it.
    I'd also prefer inviting people who can fart with a poker face, over to the apple store. cause a good joke, is a practical one. 😷
  • Do we rub salt on old wounds now? 🤔
  • So you just don’t want apps?
  • PWA covers most of that anyhow, and if consumer rights work as intended, most social and service based apps should/will include a web form of their application, hence Windows/Android/iOS/Linux can now provide a cross platform experience when it comes to the most essential applications. IF users want their right to use any platform as they choose, they'd rather be smart and ask for the options before its too late.
  • I'd prefer if it ran whatever I needed to, as in first run install choice, whatever selected would install itself on the device and update ? .
  • Why not make a simple good looking phone based on surface design with maybe a custom chip and decent price?
  • Because what the world really needs in 2022 is another single-screen generic Android phone. Throwing phrases around like "custom chip" doesn't change anything. No one is complaining that a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is slow.
  • It's fugly, but if it ran Windows, I'd buy it in a heartbeat!
  • Why?! You’d have basically no mobile app support. This makes just no damn sense
  • Do hamburgers fold?
  • A hamburger bun is a solid piece of bread that is cut in half. Often, in the package, the bun is still attached on one side. Are you really this weird about things?
  • The point is, the article is factually wrong. It should say: “In contrast with the Surface Duo 2, which folds like a hot dog BUN (the long way), the Surface Duo Slim concept folds like a hamburger BUN”. Neither hot dogs nor hamburgers fold. It is confusing as it is currently written. A better way might be to say that the Duo 2 folds left-right like a book, while this concept folds up-down. Easier to visualize than folded hamburgers and hotdogs. Neither of which fold.
  • Apparently you haven't heard the term used in folding homework to turn in. It isn't a term descriptive of how the bun folds, it is a description of the shape of the final result. I required my math students to turn in their homework with a hotdog fold rather than a hamburger fold. The article used the terms properly.
  • It's pretty normal to refer to folding the way I did in the article. I also used a phone analogy to illustrate the point for those that don't like hot dog or hamburger comparisons.
  • I can't believe you wrote that many words on this topic as if it's worth defending or arguing. I hope you can manage in this confusing world of hamburgers and hamburger buns. Godspeed.
  • Not to dogpile with everyone else here, but, wow. Just... incredible.
  • Ok, I got it. Just didn’t immediately think of a hamburger bun as folding. It makes sense now. I think the Duo should be more skinny and tall like a hotdog bun. There is a reason every other phone has that shape. It is easier to use, easier to carry, and Android apps tend to be designed for tall aspect ratios. The 2016 aspect ratio of the Duo makes it awkward to hold, use, and it makes the device look and feel dated. The aspect ratio is a huge mistake.
  • Bleach yourself, not the comment section. P.s Remember to dial 911 if you need help.
  • Stop making me hungry D:
    , IM ON A DIET !
  • Tell me... do you fold?......
    You will!.
  • Stop it already.
  • What on Earth causes things like this to pop into people's brains? LOL
  • That's a hard no for me, I need more screen real estate not less
  • If MSFT were selling 1 million Duo's a month, then this concept might be viable. Let's get the current Duo 2 through the adoption of 12L and Duo 3 in the market. Maybe then we can measure the market success of the Duo concept.
  • This is definitely a form factor which does not benefit from the two screen form factor, except maybe Nintendo DS emulation. I don't like the concept at all and I imagine Microsoft would agree.
  • Dumbest thing I have ever seen. Have you not see the Moto or Samsung? Why would you ever want this instead?