Surface Neo hands-on video shows a prototype without screens

Partly due to the pandemic and perhaps partly due to some behind-the-scenes management problems, what would have been Microsoft's leap forward into the future of computing became an uneasy half step instead. The Surface Duo, while admirable, received mixed reviews due to software issues and design problems. Its larger Windows 10X counterpart, however, may have more or less been canceled by now. Microsoft has yet to officially admit that the Surface Neo has been scrapped but, at least for now, we can dream of what could have been thanks to this hands-on video of a nearly naked prototype.

The Surface Duo and Surface Neo shared some basic traits but that was a1156 sfar as it goes. Despite both sporting what Microsoft labels as "dual-screen foldable" designs, not only was the Surface Neo larger, it was also meant to run a new Windows 10X variant made exactly for this kind of device. As Windows 10X itself morphed into something totally different designed for laptops instead, the Surface Neo got pushed further and further into the background.

No word was heard about it recently aside from Panos Panay's assurances last year that the device has merely been delayed, not canceled. Even insiders have fallen silent on any progress on that front. Now thanks to hardware hacker Calyx Hikari, we're getting a glimpse of what the Surface Neo looks like, at least from the inside.

The hands-on video shows the Surface Neo's internal design and components, which pretty much look like an enlarged Surface Duo. There is the same dual-battery design, for example, but curiously no sign of a fingerprint scanner. There are no screens either, so we can't really see the device in action.

The appearance of this prototype, whether it's the real deal or not, maybe a bit poignant for those who have been waiting for a dual-screen Windows device to finally hit the market. Those will have to look outside of Microsoft for that, though, considering the Surface Neo seems to be fated to never see the light of day.