Surface Duo 2

Surface Duo 2

Brand	Microsoft Surface
Manufacturer	Microsoft
Type	Smartphone
Slogan	Two screens, limitless possibilities
Series	Surface Duo
First released	22 September 2021; 3 years ago (2021-09-22)
Availability by region	21 October 2021; 3 years ago (2021-10-21)
Discontinued	September 10, 2023 (2023-09-10)
Predecessor	Surface Duo
Compatible networks	2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
Form factor	Folio, phablet
Colors	Glacier, Obsidian
Dimensions	Open : 145.2 mm × 184.5 mm × 5.50 mm (5.717 in × 7.264 in × 0.217 in) Close : 145.2 mm × 92.1 mm × 11.0 mm (5.72 in × 3.63 in × 0.43 in)
Weight	284 g (0.626 lb)
Operating system	Original: Android 11 Current: Android 12L
System-on-chip	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
CPU	Octa-core 1 x 2.84 GHz Kryo 680 3 x 2.42 GHz Kryo 680 4 x 1.80 GHz Kryo 680
GPU	Adreno 660
Memory	8GB DRAM LPDDR5
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Removable storage	none
SIM	nanoSIM, eSIM
Battery	4449 mAh
Charging	23W USB-C Power Supply with Fast Charging
Rear camera	Wide: 12MP, f/1.7, 27 mm, 1.4μm Telephoto: 12MP, f/2.4, 51 mm, 1.0μm, 2X optical zoom Ultra-Wide: 16MP, f/2.2, 13 mm, 1.0μm, 110°
Front camera	12MP, f/2.0, 24 mm, 1.0μm
Display	2x 5.8 in (150 mm) AMOLED 1344x1892 (401 ppi) with Gorilla Glass Victus
Sound	Stereo speaker, Dual Mic AI-based, Qualcomm aptX Classic, HD and TWS
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C 3.2 G2, NFC, GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS,
Data inputs	Surface Pen Sensors : dual accelerometer, dual gyroscope, dual magnetometer, dual ambient light sensor, dual proximity Sensor, hall sensor, fingerprint reader
Website	www.surface.com

The Surface Duo 2 was a dual-touchscreen Android smartphone manufactured by Microsoft. Announced during a hardware-oriented event on September 22, 2021, ^[1] it is the successor to the original Surface Duo.

Specifications

Hardware

The Surface Duo 2 uses a similar folio form factor to the first-generation model, although it is slightly thicker to accommodate a larger battery, and now offered in a new black color option. ^[2] It features a pair of 5.8-inch OLED displays with a 90 Hz refresh rate, with their innermost edges being curved over the side. This is used as part of a new feature known as the "Glance Bar", which allows notifications and other content to be displayed along its spine. ^[3] As with the Surface Duo, it supports Surface Pen styluses, including the concurrently-unveiled Surface Slim Pen 2. ^{[3] [4]}

The device uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G system-on-chip, adding 5G and near-field communication (NFC) support that was not present on the original Surface Duo. It also has an increased, 8 GB of RAM, dual speakers, and a fingerprint reader in its power button. ^[3]

The Surface Duo 2 has both front and rear-facing cameras, with the rear camera featuring a 12-megapixel lens, 16-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. ^[3]

Software

The Surface Duo 2 launched with Android 11. ^[5] An update to Android 12 L was released in October 2022, adding Windows 11-inspired design elements and other new features. ^{[6] [7]}

Reception

The Verge was mixed; it praised the Duo 2 for having more competitive hardware than the first-generation model, including a faster processor, more RAM, and 5G support (although still lacking features such as wireless charging), and its software for being "undeniably better than it was on the original at launch". However, the reviewer noted issues with touch input response, web browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome did not support displaying multiple pages on the two screens, and felt that its cameras were exceeded in quality by even cheaper devices such as the Pixel 5a. In conclusion, it was felt that "between the bugs and inherent awkwardness of the form factor, the Duo 2 is just a difficult device to live with day to day, much like its predecessor." ^[5] As of September 10, 2023, the Surface Duo 2 was discontinued by Microsoft ^[8] and the last security update was April 8, 2024. ^[9]

Timeline

Timeline of Surface devices v t e
Sources: Microsoft Devices Blog Microsoft Store

References

1. "Microsoft Surface event: Surface Pro 8, Surface Laptop Studio and more announced today". CNET . September 22, 2021.
2. Seifert, Dan (October 21, 2021). "Microsoft Surface Duo 2 review: Duo-over or strike two?". The Verge. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
3. Amadeo, Ron (September 22, 2021). "Microsoft's Surface Duo 2 gets better specs, an even bigger $1,499 price tag". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
4. Seifert, Dan (September 22, 2021). "Microsoft's new Surface Duo 2 has all the features that were missing the first time around". The Verge. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
5. Warren, Tom (September 23, 2021). "Microsoft says the original Surface Duo will get Android 11 before the end of the year". The Verge. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
6. Amadeo, Ron (October 26, 2022). "Surface Duo continues its worst-in-class update record, ships Android 12L". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
7. "Microsoft brings Windows styling to Surface Duo and Duo 2 with Android 12L update". GSMArena.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
8. CoveMiner (January 3, 2023). "Surface Lifecycle for Android-based devices - Surface Duo". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
9. "Surface Duo 2 update history - Microsoft Support". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.