Microsoft announced the next iteration to their mobile device, the Surface Duo 2, at Tuesday’s online launch event. The new generation focuses more on being a mobile experience, including features like 5G, NFC, wireless charging and other commonplace smartphone features.
The Duo 2 retains its predecessor’s design with two displays around the same hinge that worked well in the first generation. However, this time the displays get a bump too — a faster refresh rate.
To top it all off, there’s a new camera module featuring a wide, an ultrawide and a telephoto lens. Overall, the Duo 2 finally looks like a serious attempt from Microsoft towards an Android device, considering it’ll be running Android 11 at launch.
The Duo 2 should be available starting 5 October starting at $1499.99 along with several other new products in the Surface lineup as well as Windows 11. Pre-orders are starting on Wednesday.
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The foldable ironing out its folds
As mentioned above, Microsoft has ironed out some major kinks and addressed many complaints that reviewers and users had alike.
Display
The Duo 2 gets the same two displays, albeit with upgrades. Combined, the two displays will give you an 8.3-inch screen that goes up to 90Hz. The screens also have a slight curve to them which allows users to see the time and notifications when the device is closed.
The screens individually are 5.8-inches each, running at 1344 x 1892 and are OLED. Both screens are covered with Corning glass.
Performance
This time around, the Duo is powered by the Snapdragon 888, the latest and greatest Snapdragon has to offer and a significant upgrade from the previous model’s 855.
You also get 5G, with Microsoft claiming that the Duo 2 is the thinnest 5G device in the market right now. Other upgrades include the addition of NFC and Qi wireless charging. There’s no information on how big the battery actually is, but Microsoft claims “all-day battery life”.
Cameras
The cameras or lack thereof was a major issue with the first-generation Surface Duo. Microsoft has addressed that issue by adding a triple camera module featuring a wide-angle, an ultrawide and a telephoto lens this time around.
The Ultrawide is 16 megapixels, with the wide and telephoto lens being 12 megapixels and even getting optical image stabilisation. This does, however, adds a significant camera bump to the otherwise thin device.
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