Surface Duo might ship with stylus features to rival Samsung's Galaxy Note series

Months after its debut at the 2019 Surface event, Microsoft seems to be finally sharing some information about its upcoming dual-display smartphone. During its debut, the Surface Duo shocked the tech industry, when it was confirmed to run on Google's Android operating system. Since then, tech pundits speculated many things about how the manufacturer plans to integrate certain functionalities into the device. With its launch drawing closer, new details have been uncovered such as support for the Surface Pen.

Ever since the debut of the Surface Pro, Microsoft marketed its active stylus and the features that come with it. Following each succeeding generation of the Surface lineup, improvements have been made to enhance the user's experience, when it comes to productivity. Unlike the Neo, the Duo is the first Surface that will not run on Windows or its latest variation called Windows 10X. Thus, consumers generally thought there will be certain tradeoffs.

A report from Forbes points out that Microsoft is prepared to make adjustments to Android to ensure that the Surface Pen will remain compatible with the Surface Duo. An article published by Windows Latest stated that it "should deliver a very natural experience. Microsoft developers have worked on the Android input stack to enable both touch and pen to seamlessly work between the screens."

It was also hinted that familiar gestures native to the Surface series will be available as well on the smartphone. Microsoft appears to be in the process of enabling support for dual-screen devices which could eventually run on Windows 10X or Android in certain cases. It is currently unclear how the software will adapt to platforms that use foldable display technology instead of two separate panels.

Unlike the Surface Duo, smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, and Motorola Razr all use single flexible screens. Microsoft, on the other hand, opted to go for two sections connected via a special hinge. Nevertheless, there might be details that disclose more about how it will tackle certain configurations. Surface Pen support is just one of several key specifications expected to ship with Microsoft's first Android device.