With the original Surface Duo still languishing on Android 10, Microsoft has today announced its successor which sports a modern flagship processor, dual 90Hz AMOLED displays, a trio of rear cameras, and even a 12MP front-facing camera. Microsoft appears to have listened to much of the critiscm levelled at its first attempt to enter the foldable smartphone market, but has it figured out just what the Surface Duo 2 actually is?
Boasting a brand new hinge, the Surface Duo is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor and comes with 8GB of RAM and in 128/256/512GB storage variants. The pair of 5.8-inch AMOLED PixelSense displays that open up to an 8.3-inch viewing area offer a 90Hz refresh rate, HDR, and up to 800 nits of peak brightness. The rear camera setup consists of a pair of 12MP sensors on wide-angle and telephoto duties with a 16MP ultra-wide-lens tagging along for the ride.
One of the cooler additions is the display that is visible when the device is folded, allowing notifications as well as the time and battery levels to be on display without needing to touch the Surface Duo 2.
While we still aren’t sure whether the Surface Duo 2 is a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, and Microsoft is unwilling to say anything other than it’s a different type of device, it does have NFC connectivity which means it supports mobile payments apps this time around. The fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button on the side of the phone while you can also charge the stylus on the front edge of the phone, although it’s unclear how robust the magnetic connection is.
How much is it?
You can expect to pay from $1,499/£1,349 for the Surface Duo 2 with pre-orders already live on the Microsoft store and general availability in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, and France from October 21st.
Pre-order Here: Microsoft
