As expected, Microsoft unveiled an update to its dual-screen Surface Duo smartphone at its Surface event in September. Surface Duo 2 has many improvements, including a faster processor, 5G, revamped cameras, and a new ‘Glance Bar’.
Overall, it really seems like Microsoft took the criticism from the original Duo and made those improvements accordingly. And I’m really excited to try the Duo 2.
First of all, the Duo 2 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 system-on-a-chip (SoC), which should help significantly improve performance over the original Duo. Also, that means the Duo 2 will support 5G. Overall, this is a big change and should go a long way towards making the Duo competitive with other Samsung flagship folding devices.
Like its predecessor, the Duo 2 has two 5.8-inch ‘PixelSense Fusion’ AMOLED displays that can be used together as one 8.3-inch display. This time, however, the displays offer a 90Hz refresh rate, which should make scrolling and gaming smoother. Microsoft also increased the battery to 4,449 mAh divided into two cells; It will be interesting to see how the life of this battery is maintained given the surprising longevity of the original Duo with a smaller 3,577 mAh battery.
The ‘Gaze Bar’ is another interesting improvement with the Duo 2. Based on the images, it appears that the edge of the screen has a subtle curve along the edge of the hinge. When closed, it allows users to see a small strip of the screen, which shows the time and lights up with notification bubbles to show how many calls, messages, and other notifications are waiting for you when you open the phone.
Another important area for improvement is the camera. Microsoft added a new set of triple rear cameras with 12 megapixel wide, telephoto and 16 megapixel ultrawide cameras. That alone is a significant blow over the unique selfie camera on the original Duo, but how well these new cameras perform remains to be seen. Speaking of the selfie camera, it also got a slight improvement on a 12-megapixel sensor.
Finally, the Duo 2 will be available in two colors: ‘Glacier’ like the original Duo and a new option of ‘Obsidian’. Microsoft says Surface Duo 2 will cost $ 1,899.99 in Canada and will be available for pre-order at Microsoft website starting today. The Duo 2 will be available for purchase starting October 21. That means the Duo is still pretty expensive, but with the major overhaul Microsoft has done, this time it might be worth the money.
You can learn more about all of Microsoft’s Surface announcements here.
Image Credit: Microsoft