For the first time since the death of Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft launched a new smart phone. It's called Surface Duo and has an iconic double screen design. The original launch of the phone was scheduled for late 2020, but rumors now indicate that it may arrive in mid-year.
With a unique dual-screen functionality and Google's Android operating system under the cap, there are many things to enjoy. Here is everything we know so far.
Price and release date
At its October 2019 Surface event in New York City, Microsoft mentioned that Surface Duo will launch for the 2020 vacation. Usually, that means November or December. But in the months since then, things have changed, the phone may arrive much earlier.
While Microsoft redoubled its development efforts for the device, a functional version of the Surface Duo was recently discovered in public transportation in the hands of a Microsoft employee. The Windows Central blog also reports that the Surface Duo may arrive this summer, which means you can have one in your hands at any time between July and August.
This will also make sense, since we heard that the brand was planning the Microsofts Spring Hardware Event, For its other products in the family, such as Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2. If not, at least we hope to learn more about the Surface Duo, as long as the coronavirus does not delay its release.
As for prices, not much is known about how much the Surface Duo could cost. Microsoft's latest high-end smart phone, the Lumia 950XL, reached $ 650 when it launched in 2015.
The Surface Duo is expected to have a similar price, although smart phones with folding or double screens are now within the range of $ 1,000 dollars or more. Judging by the price of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, we expect it to be in the same price range.
Design and camera
Microsoft has not yet presented many aspects related to design, battery life or portability. However, what we know is that the Surface Duo is different from a traditional foldable smart phone.
The Surface Duo screen does not fold like the Galaxy Fold. Rather, it has two separate screens, connected to each other by a 360-degree hinge, which is designed to stay out of sight, tucked into a polished metal seam under the screen.
Either way, the device is also equipped with the same magnesium material as the rest of the Surface line. In our opinion, be a solid and elegant device, without notches or buttons that get in the way of holding it in your hands.
In technical terms, the Surface Duo has two 5.6-inch screens, which display up to 11.2 inches. It was rumored that the resolution was 1,350 x 1,800 pixels on each of the two screens. If true, it will give a density of about 401 pixels per inch to each screen.
Everything comes without sacrifice to balance, since Microsoft also mentioned that Duo is only 0.19 inches thick. However, there are thick bezels around the top of the device, so don't expect it to be like Samsung Galaxy phones without a bezel.
Finally, it is necessary to talk about the cameras and other ports on the device. There is no official information, but the prototype versions of Surface Duo have a fingerprint reader on the side, as well as a USB-C port. However, it had no headphone jack.
Applications and software experience
The Duo uses Google's Android 10 operating system, with a custom lock or dock screen provided by the Microsoft Launcher application.
This is where the two screens and the hinge come into play. Microsoft promotes that this functionality has many benefits in portability and work on the go. You can accumulate applications side by side, drag applications from one screen to another and extend them between them. The hinge allows you to fold in four different modes, just like a modern Windows 2 in 1.
The first format is the “extended canvas”, where the applications extend through the hinge. The second is "two pages", where applications can be opened side by side. There are also the "dual" and "complementary panel" modes, where you can open the Android home screen and the application panel side by side, to choose applications.
Microsoft has also confirmed that applications will have a single screen view by default, but can be expanded to cover both screens when the device is placed in double portrait or double landscape design.
We also recently met some functions in the double screens that are used for notifications. For example, you can "take a look" at your calls and notifications when you open the top screen of the device.
Performance
Like everything else on Surface Duo, Microsoft has remained silent about the device's specifications.
Judging by a report from the Windows Central Zac Bowden, the Surface Duo may come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor inside. That will be combined with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of base storage.
It is said that there may be additional options with more RAM or storage, but this is not confirmed. There is also no official information about the expansion capacity or compatibility with SD cards.
According to the reviews of other phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Surface Duo will remain a good bet for multitasking. Now he is one year old, but he arrived on other phones such as the OnePlus 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Fold, LG V50 ThinQ and Sony Xperia X1. When we review these devices, we highlight performance, making it a good bet for Surface Duo.
How it compares with the Surface Neo
Surface Duo is not the only Microsoft dual-screen device to arrive in 2020. The company also plans to launch Surface Neo, a larger dual-screen laptop. Compared to the Surface Neo, it is quite different. The latter is much more powerful for a couple of reasons.
First, the SurfaceNeo runs a full version of Windows designed for dual-screen devices, Windows 10X. This allows you to run the full range of Windows applications, including Win32, Microsoft Store, Progressive Web Apps and Universal Windows Apps. In the background, it completely replaces a laptop.
The Surface Neo shares a chassis design similar to the Duo, but it has two 9-inch screens that expand to a total of 13.1 inches of screen space. In addition, it also uses Intel Lakefield processors under the hood, which should be able to easily overcome the Duo.
Editor Recommendations
