The idea of a folding screen device is explored in project Andromeda, Microsoft’s codename for the Surface Phone idea. One thing that is rarely considered is that Microsoft may not be interested in building the device itself. Perhaps the company will merely create the framework for OEMs to play with. According to a report from WinFuture that’s exactly what has happened between Redmond and Dell. The long-time Windows partner is said to be working on a Surface Phone inspired device codenamed Januss. Before getting into the details, there are two things to consider. The first is Microsoft may be exploring a similar tactic to its other Surface products. While the company wants big sales, the Surface line is more specifically a reference range. It is Microsoft showing OEMs what can be achieved through sleek hardware and software integration.
— Eat The Rich, oh, and wear a mask! (@KLyon77) May 31, 2018 So, the Surface Phone may exist as a Microsoft project and will launch as a reference to companies like Dell. The alternative is Microsoft has no plans to release another hardware mobile phone and will instead allow OEMs to do it.
Details
Either way, it seems the Dell Januss will be an interesting dual screen device with folding capabilities. It will apparently be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 that we reported on this week. This is a dedicated Windows 10 processor for the Windows 10 on ARM movement. Dell has reportedly been working on Januss since the summer of 2017. A demo app that was discovered appears to prove the existence of the device and its dual screen design. Last year, the company held the Dell World Event. Has Januss already been shown to developers ahead of a 2018 launch?