Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 needs more than faster performance, better cameras to win the foldable race


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Microsoft’s new Pen charges magnetically and has haptic vibrations.

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that of Microsoft Original Duo surface showed the potential of dual-screen phones, but ultimately fell short of expectations. The company hopes to remedy these limitations with the new $ 1,499 Surface Duo 2, announced wednesday, which comes with a much needed increase in processing power and camera quality. The bigger question, however, is whether Microsoft can really make the case for a dual-screen phone.

First, let’s start with what’s new about the Surface Duo 2, which is available for pre-order starting Wednesday. Microsoft’s second-generation foldable features a triple lens camera with a 12-megapixel wide telephoto lens, 12-megapixel telephoto lens, and 16-megapixel ultra-wide lenses, which should be a big improvement over the original’s 11-megapixel single-lens camera. This new camera system is located on the back of the Surface Duo this time around, unlike last year’s model which required you to open the phone and fold up the screen to use the device like a normal camera. .

Read more: Microsoft introduces Surface Go 3, Surface Pro 8, Surface Slim Pen 2 and Surface Laptop Studio

The Surface Duo 2 also comes with many connectivity protocols that the first Surface Duo lacked, such as 5G, NFC, and Wi-Fi 6 support. The addition of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 5G processor, the same chip powering the products. Android flagships like the Samsung galaxy s21 and OnePlus 9 Pro, should also lead to a noticeable increase in performance. The original Surface Duo, by comparison, runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip, which seemed a bit underpowered and can be found in older phones like the Samsung galaxy s10.

The new Surface Duo’s screens are also slightly larger, and a new display strip along the hinge shows information like the time and notifications when the device is closed.

Read more: Microsoft Surface Adaptive Kit improves accessibility of laptops


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These are all welcome changes that will surely help Microsoft’s new dual-screen device catch up with other high-end smartphones. But the lower tech specs were never really the Duo’s biggest issue. Yes, anyone who pays for a $ 1,400 smartphone would expect high-end cameras, fast performance and 5G at least.

But that’s not the Duo’s main attraction; people interested in Microsoft’s foldable were probably intrigued by the idea of ​​a second screen. The lack of 5G and an unimpressive camera just added to the Surface Duo’s problems, it wasn’t the main cause behind them.

The flaws and challenges of the first Surface Duo

The Original Duo surface sounded convincing in concept. In an age when most of us use our phones for just about everything, who wouldn’t want an extra screen? The problem was, the execution was not as neat as it should have been. The preview software that was distributed to reviewers was slow and slow. Many apps have not been optimized to work the way you would expect on two screens.

Microsoft’s software updates fixed many of these bugs, but it didn’t solve the biggest hurdle faced by devices like the Surface Duo 2. Gadgets that are among the first of their kind, such as the Surface Duo, requires you to rethink the way you use your device in order to see the appeal, and achieving that is a challenge for any business.

The Surface Duo, for example, has a seemingly handy feature that lets you pair two apps and launch them simultaneously with just one click. This is fine in theory, but most people probably use their phones more spontaneously and don’t think of apps in pairs. I might need to switch between Slack and Outlook one day, but I find myself juggling Slack and Google Drive the next day, for example.

The keyboard also sounded great on paper until I actually used it. I was excited to type on the Surface Duo because it looks like a mini laptop – until I realized the keyboard was too small for traditional typing at home, but too large to comfortably press with my inches in this mode.

In other words, it’s not enough to give people a phone with two screens. Microsoft’s job is to think hard about why you would want to start with two screens and then execute them in the best possible way. He tried to do this with the original Surface Duo, but his vision didn’t seem to be fully realized yet.

Competition from Samsung could present another challenge for Microsoft as well. Foldable phones are still new, but Samsung is now in the third generation of its flexible large-format phone, the Galaxy z fold 3. While the Z Fold 3 has its limitations, especially when used in phone mode, the premise is simple: it’s a tablet when it’s open and a phone when it’s closed.


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The Surface Duo is decidedly different; it’s not a big screen that folds in half. Rather, it is two screens connected by a hinge that open and close like a book. The idea is a bit more complex, which means Microsoft may have to work harder to show people why it’s useful, especially since Samsung’s foldables are gaining attention.

The potential of a dual screen phone

There were a few glimmers of promise with the original Surface Duo which makes me happy that Microsoft isn’t ditching its foldable. The reading experience on the first Duo, for example, was excellent. I felt like I was reading a book, and apps like Amazon Kindle and Microsoft News even have a page-change animation that reinforces this effect.

I also really liked the flexibility offered by the Surface Duo, compared to other foldables like those from Samsung. Tent mode, for example, made it very easy to watch videos or use my phone as a second screen without having to use a nearby stand or surface to prop it up.

We won’t really know if the Surface Duo 2 seems like a big step up from the original in this regard until we try it. But Microsoft is teasing a few improvements that have me hoping it will.

that of Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Ultimate The streaming service will be available on the Surface Duo 2, and based on a brief rundown from the company’s press briefing, it looks like at least some games will be optimized for its dual screen. Gaming seems to be one of the more obvious areas where the Surface Duo 2 could shine, as it essentially transforms into a Nintendo 3DS-like touchscreen device when opened. Doubling down as a handheld phone and Xbox console seems like a great way to use those two screens, although it would require developers to adapt their games, which may not be worth the effort unless Microsoft sells a lot of those phones. .

The improved camera could also make the Surface Duo 2 more attractive to those who want to take and edit photos on their mobile device. After all, it offers double the screen space of a traditional smartphone and supports stylus accessories from Microsoft (although you unfortunately have to purchase the stylus separately).

The Surface Duo 2 is another sign that tech giants like Microsoft and Samsung are rethinking what is expected of a smartphone. It will likely take a while to figure out exactly what this looks like, but Microsoft is hoping the Surface Duo could do for the mobile industry what the original Surface did for computing. This change didn’t happen overnight, and it probably won’t either, but the Surface Duo 2 could be a bigger step in that direction.

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