The Surface Duo device is yet another attempt by Microsoft to enter the smartphone market. Surface Duo is the dual-screen, foldable Android device. Today, Microsoft has opened pre-orders for the device, and revealed its pricing, specs, apps, and much more information about the smartphone.
Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer of Windows + Devices, said the following about Surface Duo in today's announcement:
"When we created Surface seven years ago, we wanted to challenge convention by redefining expectations for what a productivity device should be, and what it should do. Put simply; we wanted to help people get things done. We didn't set out to combine two existing devices – the tablet and the laptop. We had a vision for how we could take the best elements of each to create something entirely new. To find that perfect intersection of hardware and software that unlocks a more intuitive way to work and create. We faced some skepticism, but ultimately a new category was born that drove growth for the PC industry. More than that, behaviors started to change. People's eyes were opened to the idea that touch shouldn't be just for tablets and phones. And the ability to get things done shouldn't be limited to just when you were sitting in front of a traditional PC."
"Today, as we look ahead to the next wave of mobile productivity and creativity, we see that same opportunity to create something new with Surface Duo – not to reinvent the phone, but to inspire people to rethink how they want to use the device in their pocket. Available for preorder in the US starting today, Surface Duo brings together the power of Microsoft 365 experiences and the full ecosystem of Android mobile apps into one device, with two screens that you can take anywhere."
There are no specific details about accessories, carrier support, and retail availability in the blog post. Microsoft may publish more details soon.
Price
Microsoft will start shipping Surface Duo on September 10, 2020. The starting price of $1,399 for the 128GB model. You can also get the 256GB device for $1,499. It is possible to pre-order it from Microsoft Store, Best Buy, and AT&T. The latter one sells it with a payment plan and some additional software.
Software
The device is running a customized Android 10 version with its own Duo UI shell.
Microsoft Surface Duo UI core features:
- Dual screen windowing
- Adaptive modes
- App Groups
- Microsoft 365 Feed
- Dynamic dock
- Universal Search
- Adaptive Camera
- Microsoft SwiftKey Adaptive Keyboard
- Your Phone Companion - Link to Windows
Pre-installed apps
The list of pre-installed apps include
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Microsoft Edge
- Microsoft OneNote
- Microsoft To Do
- Microsoft News
- Microsoft Authenticator
- Microsoft Bing Search
- Intune Company Portal
- Microsoft Solitaire Collection
- Surface Audio
- Spotify
Also, it includes the following Google apps:
- Google Search
- Google Assistant
- Google Calendar
- Google Drive
- Google Drive
- Google Duo
- Google Photos
- Google Play Movies & TV
- Google Play Store
- Google Maps
- Chrome
- Gmail
- YouTube
- YouTube Music
- Contacts
- Messages
- Phones
- Files
- Clock
- Calculator
- Sound recorder
Finally, the AT&T version of the device includes extra apps from the seller.
- HBO MAX (AT&T)
- AT&T TV (AT&T)
- My AT&T (AT&T)
- Call Protect (AT&T)
- Amazon Shopping (AT&T)
- NBA (AT&T)
Tech specs
| Dimensions | Open:
145.2 mm (H) x 186.9 mm (W) x 4.8 mm (T)
Closed: 145.2 mm (H) x 93.3 mm (W) x 9.9 mm (T at hinge) |
|---|---|
| Weight | 250 grams |
| Display | Dual PixelSense™ Fusion Displays open: 8.1” AMOLED, 2700x1800 (3:2), 401 PPI
Single PixelSense™ Display: 5.6” AMOLED, 1800x1350 (4:3), 401 PPI Display Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass |
| Battery Life | Up to 15.5 hours of Local Video Playback
Up to 10 days of Standby Time Up to 27 hours of Talk Time |
| Battery Capacity | 3577mAh (typical) dual battery |
| Battery charging | Battery charging using 18W in box power supply |
| Camera and video recording | Adaptive camera 11MP, f/2.0, 1.0 µm, PDAF and 84.0° diagonal FOV optimized with AI for front and rear
Photos: Auto mode with low-light & HDR multi-frame photo capture and dynamic range scene detection Super resolution zoom, and super zoom up to 7x Portrait mode with adjustable depth control Panorama mode Burst mode
Video recording: 4K video recording at 30 fps and 60 fps 1080p video recording at 30 fps and 60 fps HEVC and H.264 video recording formats Gyro-based digital video stabilization |
| Video conferencing | Microsoft Teams and Skype video conferencing up to 1080p at 30fps
High CRI LED Flash for both front and world facing photo and video scenarios |
| Countries, carriers, and compatibility | Countries: U.S.
Unlocked device: AT&T, T-Mobile
Locked device: AT&T |
| Network and connectivity | WiFi: WiFi-5 802.11ac (2.4/5GHz)
Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.0
LTE: 4x4 MIMO, Cat.18 DL / Cat 5 UL, 5CA, LAA. Up to 1.2Gbps Download / Up to 150Mbps Upload
Bands Supported: FDD-LTE: 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14,19,20,25,26,28,29,30,66 TD-LTE: 38,39,40,41,46 WCDMA: 1,2,5,8 GSM/GPRS: GSM-850, E-GSM-900, DCS-1800, PCS-1900 Location: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS |
| SIM | One eSIM and one Nano SIM
Note: AT&T locked device will not support eSIM |
| Processor | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855 Mobile Platform optimized for the dual-screen experience |
| Connections | USB-C® 3.1 |
| Storage and memory | 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.0 of internal storage
6GB DRAM |
| Audio | Mono speaker, Dual Mic noise suppression and echo cancellation optimized for productive use in all postures
Best-in-class Full Duplex communication for voice calls in hands-free mode
Audio formats supported: 3GP, MP3, MP4, MKV, WAV, OGG, M4A, AAC, TS, AMR, FLAC, MID, MIDI, RTTL, RTX, OTA, IMY
Qualcomm® aptX™ Adaptive |
| Sensors | Dual Accelerometer
Dual Gyroscope Dual Magnetometer Dual Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Hall Sensor Fingerprint Sensor |
| Video playback | Video Playback Formats: MKV, MOV, MP4, H.265(HEVC), AVI, WMV, TS, 3GP, FLV, WEBM
Wireless: Chromecast support
Wired: DisplayPort over USB-C®. Supports video out when connecting via HDMI Adapter |
| Exterior | Exterior Material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass
Color: Glacier |
| Security and authentication | Biometric lock type: Fingerprint reader (1:100K FAR <3% FRR)
Lock type: Swipe, PIN, password
Security applications pre-loaded on device: Microsoft Authenticator |
| Language support | All supported languages (Android™ 10) |
| Pen and inking | Supports all in market generations of Surface Slim Pen, Surface Pen and Surface Hub 2 Pen
Simultaneous Pen and touch are supported |
Besides the Surface Duo device, the package box includes Surface Duo bumper (Color: Glacier), Surface Duo USB-C® Power Supply (18w), Quick Start Guide, Warranty and Compliance Guide, and SIM Ejector tool.
Source: Microsoft
Support us
Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options: