Microsoft Reveals Its Second Android Smartphone, Surface Duo 2, with Two 90Hz OLED Screens, Triple-Camera, Snapdragon 888

Not that anyone was waiting for it, but Microsoft unveiled the second iteration of its dual-screen Android smartphone anyway. Dubbed Microsoft Surface Duo 2, the smartphone features a foldable design. However, unlike the popular Galaxy Z Fold 3, Microsoft’s smartphone lacks a foldable screen. Instead, it uses two separate displays that are connected to a 360-degree hinge. According to the software giant, the Surface Duo 2 is built to handle anything from productivity tools such as Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams to leisure reading and gaming in a unique way.

The new smartphone from Microsoft solves a lot of issues and shortcomings that were found in the original Surface Duo. It has better cameras, the latest-generation processor, support for the Surface Pen series stylus, and faster charging. Let us have a look at the Microsoft Surface Duo’s features and pricing.

Microsoft Surface Duo 2 Specifications

The Microsoft Surface phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset. It has 8GB of RAM and users get to choose from 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of internal storage. Of course, there is no microSD card slot for storage expansion.

The handset sports two 5.8-inch OLED screens with a resolution of 1,344 x 1,892 pixels. Together they create an 8.3-inch display albeit a cut in the middle. With 800 nits of peak brightness, the display supports HDR10. Microsoft has tuned these panels for a 90Hz refresh rate which offers a smooth experience while browsing the web, gaming, and simply navigating through the UI and using apps. For scratch resistance, the smartphone relies on Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus. The 360-degree hinge is designed in such a way that it reveals a narrow peek-through display strip for notifications. That part of the phone also shows battery charge level, time, and lighting effects during calls.

To please the shutterbugs, the phone offers a triple-camera setup at the rear. It comprises a 12MP standard camera with OIS, a 16MP ultrawide camera, and a 12MP telephoto lens with OIS and 2x optical zoom. The primary camera can record 4K HDR videos at 60 fps. For selfies, the Surface Duo 2 comes with a 12MP snapper.

After pulling the plug on its in-house Windows Phone operating system, Microsoft has turned to Google’s Android platform to power its smartphones. The device has full access to Google’s Play Store library on Android 11, with several apps tailored to take advantage of the dual-screen setup. A lot of Microsoft apps such as Outlook and Teams have been optimised to take full advantage of the dual-screen setup. Those optimised apps support multi-pane and multi-window layouts as well as support for dragging and dropping files from one app to another.

On the connectivity front, you get 5G (mmWave and Sub-6GHz), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, and NFC. The device sports a stereo speaker and a dual-mic setup with noise suppression. The Surface Duo 2 holds two batteries totalling up to 4,449mAh. It supports 23W fast-charging via a USB Type-C port. According to Microsoft, the device can last for up to 15.5 hours of video playback on a single charge. Tipping the scales at 284 grammes, the handset is on the heavier side.

Microsoft Surface Duo 2 Price, Availability

The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 is priced at $1,500 (around ₹1,10,700) for the 128GB version. The 256 GB model has a $1,600 (around ₹1,18,000) price tag, whereas the 512GB version of the phone will set you back by $1,800 (around ₹1,32,700). The smartphone went up for pre-order in the US today. It will start shipping on October 21, 2021. If this is the form factor you are interested in and if you live in India, you might want to check out Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3.