Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Duo and it is one of the most intriguing devices we have seen so far in 2020. Unlike the other foldable smartphones, the Surface duo has two separate 5.6 inch PixelSense Fusion Displays that are connected by a new 360 degree hinge developed by Microsoft. When opened, the Surface Duo has thickness of 4.8 mm and 8.1 inches of screen real-estate. Foldable screen devices are nothing new, we have already seen devices like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. Devices with multiple screens have always struggled to offer compelling software to take advantage of the hardware as most devices have run tweaked version of Android without making use of the bigger screen real-estate.
Microsoft has failed to capitalize the mobile market with a smartphone of its own even though more than 50% of business use the Microsoft office suite of apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The Windows Phone running Microsoft’s windows mobile operating system was discontinued after it did not gain any popularity in the market full of iPhones and Android devices. With Surface Duo, Microsoft has finally succumbed to the popularity of Android and decided to offer a first Microsoft mobile device running Google’s Android operating system. According to Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, the Surface Duo offers the “Microsoft you love and the Android you know”. Having said that, let’s check out some of the key features of the Microsoft Surface Duo.
Use Apps side-by-side with dual screens
If you like doing two things at once then Surface Duo is the perfect device for you. For apps that are frequently used together, you can use app groups, which allow you to open two applications at once. This is very helpful when you need to reference information across two different apps, for instance, you can edit research paper while browsing the web, watch videos and take notes, or text friends while looking restaurant reviews. You no longer have to flip back and forth between apps just to get information that you need. Microsoft has also designed a launcher for the Surface Duo, you can access it by swiping over to the left. In the Microsoft launcher, you can see your calendar, tasks, sticky notes, frequently used apps, and recent activities.
Use postures that work best for you
Given it’s dual screen form factor and 360 degree hinge, the Surface Duo allows for different device postures. You can span apps such as Spotify across both screens to easily view, scroll, listen, and watch with more real estate. You can fold one screen back to make and take phone calls. You can make it a tent when you want to relax while watching a video. Lastly, you can compose a mail or message with a large keyboard on one screen, like the Nintendo DS.
Microsoft 365 with Android Apps
Microsoft Surface Duo is being marketed as a productivity device, so it is important that such a device would be able to easily run the Microsoft Office apps. This is where the dual screens of the Surface Duo provide an advantage over the regular smartphone. With Surface Duo, you no longer have to go back forth between apps to check documents or even take notes, while being in a meeting or a chat. For instance, if you have to start a video/audio meeting while using Microsoft Teams, you can still continue to use Microsoft Teams on one screen while the other screen displays the meeting screen. In this example, you can continue to take meeting minutes while the video call is ongoing on the same device. You can take hand-written notes using the Surface Slim Pen as well. In addition to all the Microsoft 365 apps, you can also access all of the Android apps from the Google Play Store.
Mediocre technical Specs
With the Surface Duo, Microsoft is very open to admit that they are NOT trying to offer the most fastest processor, the best camera, or the newest 5G network. Instead, the Surface team’s focus was on a new category and form factor that will fit into people’s lives and workflows in different ways.
| Dimensions | Open: 145.2 mm (H) x 186.9 mm (W) x 4.8 mm (T) Closed: 145.2 mm (H) x 93.3 mm (W) x 9.9 mm (T at hinge) |
| Weight | 250 grams |
| Display | Open: 8.1” AMOLED, 2700×1800 (3:2), 401 PPI Single: 5.6” AMOLED, 1800×1350 (4:3), 401 PPI Display Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass |
| Battery Capacity | 3577mAh (typical) dual battery |
| Camera and video recording | 11MP, f/2.0, 1.0 µm, PDAF and 84.0° diagonal FOV Photos: Auto mode with low-light & HDR Zoom up to 7x Video recording: 4K video recording at 30 fps and 60 fps 1080p video recording at 30 fps and 60 fps HEVC and H.264 video recording formats Gyro-based digital video stabilization |
| Countries, carriers, and compatibility4 | Countries: U.S. Carries: AT&T, T-Mobile |
| Network and connectivity | WiFi: WiFi-5 802.11ac (2.4/5GHz) Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.0 Bands Supported: LTE: 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14,19,20,25,26,28,29,30,66 TD-LTE: 38,39,40,41,46 WCDMA: 1,2,5,8 GSM/GPRS: GSM-850, E-GSM-900, DCS-1800, PCS-1900 Location: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS |
| SIM | One eSIM5 and one Nano SIM Note: AT&T locked device will not support eSIM |
| Processor | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855 |
| Connections | USB-C® 3.1 |
| Storage and memory | 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.0 of internal storage 6GB DRAM |
| Audio | Mono speaker, Dual Mic noise suppression and echo cancellation Qualcomm® aptX™ Adaptive |
| Software | Android™ 10 |
| Sensors | Dual Accelerometer Dual Gyroscope Dual Magnetometer Dual Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Hall Sensor Fingerprint Sensor |
| Video playback | Wireless: Chromecast support Wired: DisplayPort over USB-C®. Supports video out when connecting via HDMI Adapter |
| Exterior | Exterior Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass Color: Glacier |
| Security and authentication | Biometric lock type: Fingerprint reader (1:100K FAR <3% FRR) Lock type: Swipe, PIN, password Security application: Microsoft Authenticator |
| Language support | All supported languages (Android™ 10) |
| Pen and inking | Supports: Surface Slim Pen, Surface Pen and Surface Hub 2 Pen Simultaneous Pen and touch are supported |
| What’s in the box | Surface Duo Surface Duo Bumper (Color: Glacier) Surface Duo USB-C® Power Supply (18w) Quick Start Guide Warranty and Compliance Guide SIM Ejector tool |
With the Surface Duo, Microsoft’s goal is “not to reinvent the phone, but to inspire people to rethink how they want to use the device in their pocket.” Surface duo is just not for the flagship market. It is clearly designed for productivity as the dual screen layout makes life so much easier. The device is not designed for photography or for playing games. The Surface Duo is clearly designed to offer a window-based computing experience on your smartphone. It is designed for people who can speed up their workflow without sacrificing efficiency. If you have a Microsoft account for office 365 and use OneDrive then the Surface Duo will be the right device for you.
Microsoft Surface Duo is available for preorder in the U.S. through MicrosoftStore.com, AT&T and BestBuy. It will be available in store and online beginning Sept. 10 starting at $1399 (USD). Surface Duo will work on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless networks in the United States.
Source: Microsoft
I am officially a tech addict and enjoy providing my views on matters related to this industry. I am always interested in trying out new tech gadgets and I have owned multiple smartphones including the legendary HTC One, SGS2, Nexus 4, iPhone 4, 5S, 6S, XR, Note 9. You can ask me any tech related questions in the comment section or on twitter @hookedNav