Microsoft Returns With Smartphone After Highprofile Flops

After high-profile flops, Microsoft is getting back into smartphones with a dual-screen Android device that won’t be out for another year.

Microsoft unveiled the Surface Duo as part of a new lineup of Surface computers. It marks a reversal for a company that abandoned smartphones following lackluster demand for its own operating system and an ill-fated purchase of smartphone maker Nokia.

“I believe the third time’s a charm for Microsoft and smartphones,” said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. He said Microsoft has had a good track record with Surface devices, while the Duo’s novel design offers something new at a time when phone innovation has been slowing down. Microsoft says the Duo makes phone calls, though it stopped short of calling it a phone.