I purchased, and then later returned, the original Surface Duo primarily due to the fact that Microsoft used year-old internal specifications, had a single poor camera, did not include NFC to support Google Pay, and left too much on the table. We then saw prices plummet with the Duo available for less than $500 over the past couple of months. Also: Microsoft Surface Duo review: Buy it for dual screen use, not for its old specs Despite the shortcomings of the original Microsoft Surface Duo, it offered a form factor for optimal productivity with two big screens designed to get work done. Microsoft offered unique software experiences, especially in relation to Office 365 applications. It wasn’t designed for someone looking for a straightforward smartphone, but for people getting work done on the go where a large tablet was too big and a standard smartphone was too limited. There are several reasons to consider an upgrade from the Surface Duo to the Surface Duo 2 or to pick up a Surface Duo 2 for the first time. These include: Unfortunately, all of these improvements come with a starting price $100 more than last year. Microsoft also now offers three internal storage capacity options of 128GB/256GB/512GB with the same 8GB of RAM available in all three models. Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Room for improvement
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 specifications
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888Displays: Two 5.8-inch, 1892x1344 pixels resolution (401ppi) AMOLED, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus displaysOperating system: Android 11RAM: 8GB LPDDR5Storage: 128/256/512GB internal storage, UFS 3.0Cameras: 12MP wide, 12MP 2x telephoto, and 16MP ultra-wide, 110-degree rear camera set. 12MP f/2.0 interior front-facing cameraConnectivity: WiFi-5 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, , NFC, GPS/Galileo/GLONASS/Beidou/QZSSSensors: Dual accelerometer, dual gyroscope, dual magnetometer, hall sensor, fingerprint sensor, proximity sensor, dual ambient light sensorBattery: 4449 mAh non-removableDimensions (Open): 145.2 x 184.5 x 5.5 mmDimensions (Closed): 145.2 x 92.1 x 11 mmWeight: 284g
Quickly looking at the Surface Duo 2 compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, we don’t see any level of dust or water resistance on the Duo 2, no wireless or reverse wireless charging, the Duo 2 displays are limited to 90Hz while the Z Fold 3 has 120Hz refresh rates, and the trade-in offers from Microsoft are clearly not as generous as what Samsung offers. Software enhancements for dual and split screen operations are offered in both devices. While I am thoroughly enjoying and exploring all that my Galaxy Z Fold 3 has to offer, I look forward to trying out the new Surface Duo 2. I cannot justify keeping both of these expensive devices so stay tuned here for more thoughts on both of these innovative smartphones.
