Samsung and Microsoft partnership extends fully to foldables

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With the launch of Samsung's latest foldable Android flagships, comes Microsoft confirming that full-screen, dual-pane operation, and support for the new S-Pen are all baked in to Outlook and Office. It's good to see the two companies continuing to work so closely together - and don't forget the rather tasty 'Link to Windows' (an enhanced version of 'Your Phone') built into every Samsung top end device, with application streaming into the Windows Desktop UI.

illustration
Illustration from Microsoft, though note that the actual Z Fold 3 doesn't have a selfie camera cutout - the camera is under the screen glass!

From the Microsoft blog post:

The company’s partnership with Microsoft, which delivers a seamless bridge between Windows PC and mobile devices, has also expanded to further integrate Microsoft Office, Teams and Outlook into the smartphone experience.

For instance, when you unfold a Galaxy mobile device, you can see a presentation in full-screen detail and the faces of your co-workers on the Teams call underneath. Also on that Teams call, pull up the Whiteboard and draw what you’re explaining on the board with an S Pen. With Microsoft Outlook’s dual-pane mode for Galaxy devices, you can read a full email while previewing others on the side, just like on a desktop.

“With the Multi-Active window, you can run multiple apps at the same time,” says Patrick Chomet, executive vice president, head of Mobile Products & Experiences at Samsung. “For example, you can open Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint and easily drag and drop a table right into your presentation. Now, you can even run two instances of the same app.”

Which is all a bit mind-blowing when you consider that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 fits in your pocket. You can get a lot of the Microsoft Office experience on existing Android and iOS smartphones, but it does seem as though the functionality takes a leap upwards when you've effectively got tablet-class screen real estate to play with.

I'll test all this more if and when I get the Z Fold 3 in for review for All About Mobile and The Phones Show.

PS. See also the related Z Fold 3 UI promo video from Samsung, as a lot of the productivity features here will appeal, I think:

Source / Credit: Microsoft