Pocketable Surface Mini is still in the works, but far from ready

Microsoft is believed to be working on a foldable Surface tablet but it failed to make an appearance at this week’s Microsoft Surface Pro 6 launch, leading some to believe that the device had been ditched altogether.

However, it appears that the project − known internally as Andromeda − is still very much alive.

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“It’s absolutely my baby,” Microsoft’s chief product officer, Panos Panay, has told The Verge. “We will invent and we will create when products are right. We can’t bring new categories into the world and not be a place where customers need it.”

He added: “I think there’s a lot of new form factors that are coming in the future.”

It was widely reported this summer that the heavily rumoured device wouldn’t see the light of day before the end of 2018, but there were also claims that the project had been killed off. Those were wide of the mark, it appears.

Panay didn’t let much more slip, but he did hint that it could still be a long while before such a device makes it to market. “I think any other form factor you haven’t seen yet we’ve gotta get right, we’ve got to make sure we keep inventing to make it perfect,” he said.

According to an internal note discovered last year, the “new and disruptive” device is designed to blur the lines between a PC and a mobile device.

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“It’s a new pocketable Surface device form factor that brings together innovative new hardware and software experiences to create a truly personal and versatile computing experience,” Microsoft reportedly wrote in the document.

The device has also been rumoured to come with dual screens, and the ability to make voice calls.

Does a foldable and pocketable Surface device sound tempting to you? Share your thoughts on Project Andromeda with us on Twitter @TrustedReviews.