Microsoft is taking advantage of that space to display limited notifications (missed calls, messages, battery level, and volume level, but no third-party apps), but it’s still not as convenient as a screen on the outside of the phone would be. The sides of the screens that meet the hinge have a curve, making it possible to see them through the hinge when the Duo 2 is closed. The hinge is very nice - it’s smooth yet firm, so it can hold its position however you want it, and it makes it easy to switch from using two screens to just a single screen. The Duo 2’s hinge is strong enough to hold the screens in any position you may need. This is still very much a work in progress, one that I can’t recommend anyone buying until Microsoft figures it out. It has an up-to-date processor, refined design, bigger battery, 5G support, NFC support, newer software, and an actual, honest-to-goodness proper camera.īut once you get past all of those spec-sheet corrections, the Duo 2 still suffers from many of the same issues that plagued the first model. Even worse, the software was buggy and frustrating to use, with frequent crashes, poor touch response, and limited compatibility in third-party apps for its unique dual-screen features.įor this year’s attempt, the $1,499.99-and-up Surface Duo 2, Microsoft appears to have righted many of the original’s wrongs. It lacked modern smartphone things like a proper camera, 5G, wireless charging, NFC, and an up-to-date processor. It had a head-turning design and plenty of cool factor, but the original Duo was, to put it bluntly, a hot mess.

Microsoft’s first attempt at this, 2020’s Surface Duo, was not very good. And in this weird time period where companies are still trying to figure out the best way for a folding phone to work, there are two camps: Samsung and others that fold a big screen down to a smaller, pocketable size, and Microsoft, which joins two screens with a hinge to create a digital book-like device. Folding phones may be the future, but right now, they are still in their infancy.

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