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Microsoft Surface Duo 2 announced: Basically all the upgrades you wanted
- Microsoft just took the wraps off the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. It has a new design and new features.
- The phone has modern flagship specs and a full camera system, unlike the original model.
- The Duo 2 will cost $1,499 and become available October 5, but pre-orders are open now.
Today at the 2021 Microsoft Surface event, the company took the wraps off its latest Android phone. That’s right, Microsoft is finally calling it a phone! The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 is the company’s second Android device to hit the market.
The Duo 2 features a bevy of upgrades over the original Surface Duo. It has a flagship chipset in the Snapdragon 888. There’s 5G support. It has a triple-lens rear camera. Basically, this is a 2021 flagship phone that just so happens to have two displays and comes from Microsoft.
As with last year, the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 opens like a book to show off two separate displays. The displays are 90Hz, which is a nice upgrade over the 60Hz displays in the original.
On the outside, though, there’s a new Glance Bar. As the name suggests, this small, thin display gives you the basic info you need without needing to open the phone. That includes the time, battery life, notifications, etc.
The camera system on the rear is one of the biggest upgrades (the original had no rear camera system at all). It includes a 12MP main lens with OIS, a 16MP ultra-wide, and a 12MP telephoto, also with OIS. That’s a terrific array on paper, so we’re excited to see what this phone can actually do.
Unfortunately, all these new optimizations and upgrades increased the price of the phone. It now starts at $1,499 — $100 more than its predecessor. Ouch. It also comes with Android 11 on board, and Microsoft isn’t being forthright on when it will receive Android 12.
Stay tuned for our full review on the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. In the meantime, if you’re ready to give Microsoft a chance, you can grab the new phone as a pre-order now. General sales start on October 5 and the phone comes in Glacier and Obsidian colorways.