Rumours of a foldable mobile device running Windows 10 being developed by Microsoft have reignited, after a code string in a Windows 10 SDK was found to refer to “Andromeda”, the codename of the rumoured device, which first surfaced back in October 2017.
Since then, the belief regarding what Andromeda actually pertains to be seem to have shifted in the direction of a so-called “Surface Phone”, a foldable smartphone as opposed to a tablet.
Indeed, these devices seem to be all the rage at the moment — Samsung’s offering has been on the cards for years now and Huawei was also recently revealed to be developing its own foldable smartphone using flexible OLED panels from BOE. Apple is also rumoured to be preparing a foldable smartphone for a 2020 launch.
Image:Microsoft
Additionally, Microsoft has been developing a modular version of Windows, to enable it to be installed on devices in any form-factor. Very little is known about the Andromeda device, though the recent shutdown of the company’s Windows Phone business, announced back in April, has cast doubts on any kind of Surface Phone ever coming to market.
However, new rumours indicate that Dell may also be working on a foldable mobile device designed to run Windows 10, codenamed “Januss”. The device is said to incorporate a Snapdragon 850 ARM processor, 5G network capabilities and a USB-C connector.
However, the documentation detailing Januss has since been found to be from some time ago. In light of that, Windows Phone’s failure and the cancellation of several Windows-based mobile devices in the past, it remains to be seen if such technology will ever come to market.
