What you need to know
- A third-party developer has brought Microsoft’s canceled Windows 10X to the Surface Duo.
- This first release includes graphics drivers and showcases how smooth Windows 10X is on mobile hardware.
- Support for dual-screen scenarios is coming soon.
Microsoft’s first-generation Surface Duo is now able to run Windows 10X, thanks to a new release by the DuoWOA project, a third-party effort that originally brought Windows 10 and Windows 11 to the Surface Duo. Gustave Monce on Twitter announced the new release over the weekend, along with a brief demo which showcases the OS in action.
This first release is a “V0” which means there’s a few things that still don’t work correctly. For example, dual-screen functionality isn’t yet in, though Monce says that will be coming in V1, and will support all the same dual-screen features that Surface Neo would have supported. Support for cellular phone calls also isn’t in.
Windows 10X on a Surface Duo. Yes.It’s incredibly smooth. Look at this. All thanks to the madman @gus33000, so all credits go to him.I made a guide to install it, available at https://t.co/kvymDiaR9P pic.twitter.com/Lt12rtkm1BApril 2, 2023
The process for installing Windows 10X on the Surface Duo is not simple either, so this project isn’t for the faint of heart. You can follow the installation guide here, though keep in mind that failing to follow the instructions correctly could result in you bricking your device. A version for Surface Duo 2 is also not yet available.
When the project is fully functional, running Windows 10X on the Surface Duo will be like using a mini Surface Neo, complete with the ability to span UWP apps across both screens. It’s quite poetic, knowing that Windows 10X was partially born out of the ashes of Andromeda OS, and now it’s running on the Surface Duo. It’s like the vision has come full circle.
Obviously, Windows 10X has since been canceled, so there’s no ongoing support for this platform by Microsoft. Microsoft’s efforts have since moved over to Windows 11, which brought much of the Windows 10X UI over to Windows Desktop. But there’s no denying how much more fluid and lightweight Windows 10X is compared to Windows 11, and the Surface Duo really showcases that.
