After using the Surface Duo for a bit, I have to admit, the dual screen use case is much more compelling than I thought it would be… mostly because it encourages you to do “two things at once”, e.g. when you open GMail on a single portrait screen and initiate a reply, it auto-splits with the list of emails on the left panel, and the email composer content on the right panel.
This of course has a direct analog with Discourse and writing topic replies as a PWA.
The website (or PWA) would need hints about where the split is, and “permission” to auto-spread to the next screen when on a single screen in landscape (wide) mode… But in portrait (tall) mode the keyboard itself takes up the whole bottom screen, making that kind of… already complete?
In landscape (wide) mode, Chrome would need to take over the right (or left) screen to open the editor on whichever panel is adjacent to the topic you are reading.
One thing you also want to avoid is putting dialogs directly on the “center” of the screen where the split is, that’s another reason you’d want a hint that you are running on a large, split screen, a hint indicating exactly where the split is.
For anyone interested in foldables, the original Surface Duo can be had for quite cheap as refurb, and it’s a decent device with a confirmed Android 12L upgrade path. So check it out!
