Surface Duo 2: I'll take it seriously when Microsoft does

Surface Duo 2 Jez 2021 (Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)

Microsoft recently launched the Surface Duo 2, hitting U.K. markets at a similar speed to U.S. markets for a change. Our exec editor Daniel Rubino reviewed the device, noting that while the form factor may not be for most people, the hardware enjoyed a sizeable leap.

Having previously tried out the first Surface Duo and remaining intrigued despite its issues, I couldn't resist picking up a Surface Duo 2 as someone desperate to rediscover a Microsoft that gives a crap about mobile phones. After a few days with the device, I'm sad to say that my quest for rediscovery may have to continue.

I asked recently if Microsoft really serious about the Surface Duo, and unfortunately, the Surface Duo 2 convinces me that it isn't.

Can't judge a book by its cover

The Surface Duo 2 is a gorgeous device, and nobody can take that away from Microsoft. The impossibly thin chassis, meticulous hinges, and off-black obsidian coloring and glass shell make for a truly impeccable device. I've seen some people complain about how smudge-prone the black version is, and sure, it can be smudgy, but that's hardly a deal-breaker, especially if you plan to put a case on it.

I was worried the camera bump would interfere with the experience, and it does to some degree, but I get the trade-off. Instead of last year's truly abysmal camera array, we have something that at least passes for competence in 2021, with wide-angle and telephoto capabilities in tow. The camera samples won't blow your mind, and low light performance is a lot grainier than my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, but it's acceptable, at least if the rest of the phone functions as advertised. Sadly, it just doesn't.

Almost immediately out of the box, I was given bitter flashbacks to Windows 10 Mobile and its middling, buggy OS experience. It had apps that weren't properly designed for the platform, random features that didn't work properly, and a phone that got weirdly warm.

The Bluetooth interference that cratered my Surface Duo 1 experience has, sadly, returned in the Duo 2. I don't know if it's the antenna positioning or my jeans are somehow too thick, but once again, the Duo 2 is unusable for music with the phone in your pocket. It's certainly possible I have a faulty unit, given that our exec editor Dan Rubino hasn't seen similar issues, but there are other issues that are far more pervasive.

Even if you disregard the astronomical price, the Surface Duo 2 OS experience is simply unacceptable.

One of the biggest annoyances with this phone is the performance. Despite how it beats basically every Android phone out there in benchmarks, it seems that memory leaks caused by the OS reduce multi-tasking performance to a painful crawl while taking a video call on one screen and attempting to use apps on the other. My Galaxy Z Fold 3 runs not two, but three apps simultaneously without even the vaguest hint of performance degradation, video call or not.

There's also a litany of other annoying bugs and broken features that make the experience completely unacceptable in a phone this expensive. I've had issues where the keyboard simply deciding it wasn't going to work anymore, displaying an empty gray box where SwiftKey should be until I close and reopen the app in question. The Amazon app randomly decided it wasn't going to work anymore, ignoring all taps and interactions. And finally, the touch response continues to be laughably bad.

It sucks because this phone might be the best way to experience Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming, thanks to the full-size touch gamepad you get on the bottom display. However, it's rendered pointless if it can't actually detect my taps when I need to land that crucial attack. Even if you disregard the astronomical price, the Surface Duo 2 OS experience is simply unacceptable.

Is Microsoft serious about this thing?

I primarily use the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 to frame my comparisons, since it is effectively the Duo 2's closest competitor. I wrote in my Galaxy Fold vs. Surface Duo article that the Duo's form factor does come with some advantages over the Fold, and that sentiment remains true. The Fold apps multitask in siloed sections, whereas the Duo's dual-screen setup adds scope for separate programs to interact with each other more seamlessly... at least in theory. It doesn't help that taps don't register the first, second, or even the third time on occasion.

The most egregious part of this experience is the fact most of these criticisms were present in the Surface Duo 1. The crappy Bluetooth stability. The weak touch detection. The generally unpolished, unfinished experience. Why didn't Microsoft address any of this feedback? Is it not reading the reviews or looking at YouTube? Is it ignoring Reddit? Is there anyone at Microsoft even actively using this phone? I have no idea, and I have no idea because Microsoft is so irritatingly secretive about it.

Somebody needs to let the Surface team know that it's a long way from being Apple. Apple has this aura of smugness, allowing it to shrug off criticism for selling wheels for $1,000 and napkins for $15. It does this by simply ignoring, well, everyone. And to some degree, it's earned that arrogance by way of being a trillion-dollar company known for making largely polished products a huge portion of the population use and love. Surface takes a similar radio-silence approach to its community while selling its products for Apple prices and without being anywhere near Apple's quality level.

Somebody needs to let the Surface team know that it's a long way from being Apple.

When Xbox torpedoed its brand in 2013, it launched a near decade-long campaign to reconnect with its customers and fans in an effort that is still ongoing today. The Xbox team is generally forthcoming with updates to its products via the Xbox Insider Program, with the vast majority of its executive leadership team engaging consistently and directly with Xbox customers on Twitter and Reddit. I am by no means suggesting the Surface engineering team needs to get on socials in their personal time, but it couldn't help to have some form of community managers or community engagement that goes beyond the very basic marketing presence the brand has on Twitter and Instagram. Taking the hands-off Apple-style approach is absolutely the wrong position.

We know virtually nothing about update timing plans to the Duo 1 or 2, save for the odd leak we occasionally get via my colleague Zac Bowden. We know nothing about the roadmap of products or services Microsoft intends to build to enhance its Android presence. SwiftKey, OneNote, the Microsoft Launcher, and various other Microsoft Android apps have barely had a meaningful update in what feels like forever. Instead, we got a Microsoft "Start" app, with Microsoft hoping that nobody would notice that it's literally just the Bing app with a new name. How can Microsoft expect to be able to sell these devices for north of £1,300 while putting in what appears to be the bare minimum effort?

I'll take it seriously when Microsoft does

Source: Windows Central | Jez Corden

Dear Surface,

If you want to develop the Surface Duo line iteratively, do it with us, the community. You haven't earned the right to ignore the people essentially acting as unpaid testers for your half-baked vanity projects yet.

I wanted to love the Duo 2, and sure, the Surface Duo 2 went all in on addressing some of the most obvious complaints like the lack of a real camera. The Duo 2 inking experience, I felt, was also superior to the Galaxy Fold 3. However, the fact some of the smaller day-to-day usability complaints have been completely ignored absolutely blows my mind.

In an Android world dominated by mature Samsung experiences, why is Surface failing at the very bare basics like touch and Bluetooth, things that even very dead Android OEMs like BlackBerry TCL and HTC could nail? How is it the Surface team can fashion the most elegant hinge in the history of engineering, but screw up basics white label phones sold on Wish.com for 100 bucks seem to land with ease? I think I've made my point.

I will take the Surface Duo line seriously when Microsoft does.

Jez Corden a Managing Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by caffeine. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his Xbox Two podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!

62 Comments

@ Daniel Rubino.. So, I guess Microsoft pissed AT&T off so bad they won't carry version 2? Lol
Maybe, but at least Best buy is giving the potential of $700 off from inception as opposed to the price reduction a year later on the Duo 1. Att doesn't promote anything outside of iPhone or Galaxy anyway to be honest which are good devices. I have a galaxy and duo like most people anyway but am realistic about carries and their two dimensional cell phone view
They sold less than 50k units, maybe as low as 30k according to Daniel. Why would AT&T carry such an unpopular device again? It will be canceled early next year. Dual screens are too awkward, and not worth the experience of having two screens. Every review has been bad, and not just because of the bugs. The form factor is just too awkward. When you open a Fold, it makes sense. It is simply a tablet. You can use it easily as a single screen, dual screen, or even triple screen. There is no question how it works and it feels great holding it. The Duo is the exact opposite, especially version 2. It is dual screen only, it feels weird in the hand as it has a constant hinge in the middle, and is awkwardly wide. Your experience is broken across two displays at all times. It is just weird, and that weirdness doesn’t bring any great benefits compared to the Fold.
One of the biggest causes or issues with Android on the Duo, especially in comparison with Samsung's devices, is the fact that Microsoft is using basically stock Android. They need to just go ahead and skin/UX it. I get the reasoning behind not doing so, but until Google pays/plays to an acceptable extent on their end, the UI on the most unique device on the market will suffer.
I agree, and made similar points in the Android 12L article. Microsoft's done hardly anything to improve the Duo, from a software perspective. The idea that Microsoft is being wholly reliant on Google to fix their phone is irrational. They are throwing a piece of hardware out there and expecting everyone else to make it work. That strategy failed miserably with the first Duo and is a big reason why the knee-jerk perception of the Duo is so pessimistic. The Duo feels like a hardware-only project, as the MS Launcher is less capable on the Duo than any other Android device and there's just so little from MS to suggest they will be doing anything post-launch to support the device. Over a year later, they just released a security-only update to the first Duo, for which they've made no significant software changes. Basically, if you have issues with the Duo, you have to hope Google will fix them.
I will say, sitting next to the Fold the aspect ratio of Duo is more appealing than the Fold, and I'm saying this from experience because I've had both side by side. The Fold does kind of appear more like a glorified smartphone than something very different like Duo does. But, nothing matters if Microsoft isn't 100% in on making future versions of Duo solid (and fixing current versions software issues as much as possible). That's how Microsoft has always handled devices; they make good proof of concepts, then kind of get lazy, and stop going. I don't know, maybe they think that's enough, but it's not. Meanwhile, Samsung is absolutely 1,000.000% in the game and trying their best with whatever they do. I still use my Note 9 everyday, and besides being a cluster f*** of an experience (which is partly my fault) I love it. I love the idea of my Duo, and sometimes it amazes me, but I've never had that "love" for it like I have my Note 9 or even *most of my Windows Phone devices. Even my iPhone is a completely solid experience, and I would love to see Apple make a dual screen foldable like Duo. I'm sure it would be a different conversation. (One I might join) I can't wait to see how (if) Microsoft improves future updates and generations of Duo, and I believe it's a really good device for the most part,, but Microsoft, if you aren't willing to invest 1,000,000% then don't waste your time and ours. "Microsoft, if you aren't willing to invest 1,000,000% then don't waste your time and ours."... Sad thing is that I'm afraid if Microsoft read this they would quit. Lol. 😂 That would say a lot right there. SMDH 🤦🏿‍♂️
translation: I know more than a trillion-dollar tech company which is why I am posting comments on Window Central...
This is the least-intelligent comment I've read on here in a while, possibly ever. The idea that you think being a trillion-dollar company means they don't make mistakes, or that they shouldnt' be criticized, is comical.
You can't be taken seriously. There's no way you can even take your own words seriously. Do you actually read what you write?
You must be a big fan of WeWork.
It doesn’t matter how much they put into it, having a line down the middle of your screen will never be viable. If the Fold had a Microsoft logo on the back, you would be saying the exact opposite.
Couldn't agree more. Having twice bit the Duo apple, I feel mostly twice burned. D1 was a paid alpha - still no Android 11, still no refinements, still not much more than what I unboxed a year ago. And now D2, with its doubling down on the same, lame, half-baked approach. Such might be good enough, even excellent enough, coming from a hobbyist platform like, say, Pine, but from big, giant MS charging big, giant premium prices? No way. To their credit, they fooled me twice and shame on me for it.
Lol. Your last sentence is funny. I literally lol'd. Lol. 😂 Your weren't fooled. You're just more advanced than many, and you want more than typical. Can't blame yourself for that.
Looking at the Duo next to the Fold and thinking you will back the Duo is foolish. It is the inferior device by far. Much harder to write software for and still not worth it even when the software works. The Fold is simple, when you open it up you have a tablet. Opening the Duo is only useful for the rare times you need two apps at once, something the Fold does just as well at. There is 0 reason for the Duo to exist now that folding screens are viable. Even Google was smart enough to cancel their folding device until they can compete. Microsoft needs to cancel this and work on WoA. Get the 8cx out there at $299 and build the platform. Some pointless Android phone is the last thing they need.
You're not alone. They got me too, but they won't get me again. I work in real estate & thought the Duo would be the perfect work device... Dumping the Duo for either a 13 Pro Max & iPad Mini or a Z Fold 3.
Wow, that is a very detailed explanation for dumping the Duo. Plenty of examples with clear and logical reasoning...
Apologies, I wasn't aware that I needed to expound on my reasons for your edification. Like or dislike is entirely subjective. No person here is the arbiter of what's right or wrong for someone else.
For ME, it's what works or what doesn't that is the ultimate deciding factor in whether I keep a device or not. I have no allegiance to any company or its products. My allegiance is to me & what works for me.
That said, since you have an interest, please feel free to read some of my other posts on the matter. Hopefully, those will provide the more cogent reasons that you seem to be looking for.
Wow, that is a very detailed explanation, with plenty of examples, as well as clear and logical arguments. Normally people bring up trite stuff that has nothing to do with productivity like "Android 11" or use meaningless jargon words like "half-baked". But not you, you are clearly different...
Your headphones have a setting that offers better quality at the expense of a strong Bluetooth signal. Turn that off and the interference will go away.
I've tried these with the Galaxy Buds Pro and a Marshall ANC Monitor II, same issue with both, and afaik neither has a toggle for that.
Microsoft drop Android. Bring back something simaler to windows 8 phone operating system. Push for a open but clean safe new app store.
Yeah, because people really wanted Windows Phone 8. Good luck with that.
Jez pls go back to writing xbox articles. Leave this space to our 2 boys Rubino and Bowden.
Why? He is a writer of Windows Central and it is already approved before it is published.
Exactly! What is a gamer doing writing reviews on products targeted toward working professional adults...lol
A "gamer" can't write their take of their experience with a phone? I would think he has used the device and that lends him more credit than most here. Do you even hear yourself? Do you own either Surface Duo?
@rk7 I owned like 15 windows phones kiddo.
Huh, this "gamer" you are talking about is a writer of this site, doing it as a job, it is his profession to write. Also, even Microsoft themselves targeting Surface Duo for gaming. So just targeting working professional is moot.
As a big Fold fan and gamer, he has an interesting perspective that provides diversity. Then again, in the review last year he also said, "Simply stated, as an experience, Cyberpunk 2077 won't be bested for years — it is a masterpiece, wholly without equal." 🤷‍♂️
imagine having opinions that don't appease the hivemind. problem with cyberpunk, i went in blind. unlike everyone who was expecting GTA: Sci Fi, I was expecting The Witcher 3 with guns, and in that, the game delivers. the duo doesn't deliver anything, you're comparing two completely separate things to try and undermine my opinion, which you seem to have taken personally
You went into Cyberpunk "blind"? Based on WC's coverage in the years leading up to launch and at least 2 articles you penned after seeing it in action, "blind" is hardly an apt description. If there was ever a product you "wanted to love", Cyberpunk was it, and your review oozed of it. Essentially you crafted a narrative to support a predetermined opinion. At best, both it and your Duo 2 review showcase your hyperbolic style and that was my point. Nothing personal.
For what reason? He made plenty of good, reasonable points here (though some of his content isn't presented in the best manner). It seems you don't like that he's explaining real-world issues with the device and Microsoft's overall strategy with mobile, but I don't get why, unless you just REALLY hate criticism of a brand that much.
1000% with Jez on this!!!
A very honest article by Jez.
Hope the Surface team address the issues pointed out here.
Kudos to the WC team again to criticize Microsoft who seem to use their customers as guinea pigs to test out their new pricey & experimental products each time.
thanks mate, I WANT to WANT this thing... but man, they cant even give me a display that registers taps?
Have you tried disabling Google Assistant? I've heard that improves the gesture recognition.
Same...and I want a Duo 2 that doesn't get me stuck in the camera app and then crash the OS and I have to reboot.
So let me get this straight you bring up Apple even though they don't make folding phones and can't even make an iPhone with pen support, or laptops and desktops with touch screens and pen support. For the record: Apple's success has less to do with quality products and more to do with ignorant consumers (who are getting less and less ignorant as shown by Apple's declining market shares listed below) and loyal users posing as Windows and Android reviewers. Here are the facts: 1. MacBooks and iMacs only have 7-8% market share. Laptopmag.com rated Apple 10th out of 11 laptop makers. Further, MacBooks have a long history of class-action lawsuits with keyboard, thermal throttling, connectvity, green screen, and cracked screens (2021's law suite) lawsuits being filed in just the past 5 years. Google Louis Rossmann for a complete and long history of class-action lawsuits against Apple and detailed explanation of how badly made MacBooks are. 2. MacOS has about 8% market share and is now third behind ChromeOS (which is barely 10 years old!). 3. iPhones market share has noised dived from 40% in 2014 to 15% in 2020 and it would be even lower if not or US protectionism against Chinese companies. 4. iPads market share has plummeted from nearly 80% to 33% over the past decade. Again, the free-fall in market share would be even more if not for US government protectionism. Further, Samsung's market share has increased from 8% to over 20% during the same time period. 5. Apple has twice the malware attacks of Windows. And now hackers don't even need to have you click on a link or download anything to break into iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, or iMacs. 6. And the icing on the cake is that services (AppleCare, AppleTV, etc.) is Apple's fastest-growing source of revenue. Apple clearly knows where its long-term future is and isn't... As for the rest of your article, all you have shown is that you ain't a mobile white-collar professional. Finally, you are welcome for the free education, now please have Windows Central bring back Daniel Rubino....
Wait a minute now.. Apple products aren't poor quality, and the reason people buy them isn't because they're dumb, it's because they have a consistently good experience with them. I don't think your post is fair.
Ignoring the class action lawsuits I listed, the declining market shares, and the information available on Mr Rossmanns YouTube channel is classic Apple fanboy.
Apple doesn’t chase market share. They could cut Windows sales in half tomorrow by releasing a $499 MacBook. They chase margins and profits. They sell high end devices at high margins and make more money than one in the categories you mention (phones, laptops, tablets, watches, headphones, etc). Is it worse being an Apple or Microsoft fanboy? At least Apple creates great consumer products and isn’t just coasting on a PC monopoly and nothing else. XBox is arguably the only great consumer product Microsoft makes these days.
You are...on drugs or something. All you seem interested in doing is attacking Apple, even though the most prevalent comparison in this article is between the Duo and the Z Fold. Still, let's address your individual points and how they seem totally devoid of the context in which you're speaking. 1. Macs have a notably larger marketshare than anything Microsoft has put into the mobile market in the last decade. In that time, Microsoft has tried THREE iterations of Windows phones, buying Nokia to bring hardware in-house, and now they're on Android. All of these efforts--4 different OSes and multiple iterations of hardware teams--have been MUCH less successful than Macbooks. That 92-93% you're touting as Apple's failure is primarily built on price points in which Apple voluntarily chooses to not compete. 2. We're talking about phones and you're here to tell us about a premium hardware maker's desktop OS market share? I still don't get why. You seem to this this is "I Hate Apple Central." 3. Again, these are primarily price points and markets in which Apple doesn't bother to compete. When Apple's products start at $400 (much higher, if you don't include the SE), and large portions of the Android user base is in the sub-$200 economic space, trying to insinuate that Apple is failing at something it's actively choosing to not do is illogical and pointless. 4. Now you're just wrong: https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS47423721 5. Funny how you throw out lazy one-liners at people who don't expound upon their opinions, yet you're here with YET ANOTHER unsourced claim. Plus, frequency of attacks provides no context to the actual vulnerability of a device. 6. I'd say this logic applies in the same way to Microsoft, who doesn't even have a real mobile reporting revenue because they consider it so inconsequential. Lastly, Daniel Rubino's still here, but you'd be forgiven for not realizing it because you're clearly EXTREMELY high right now.
The reviewer clear bought Apple into the conversion about the Duo. And also went out of his way to praise the quality and popularity of Apple products without offering any EVIDENCE to back either of those assertions. You'd know that if you bothered to read his article.
Numbers are fact. Where are you numbers because all I see are fanboy excuses. Your lack of numbers may explain why you don't know the difference between a single quarter and an entire year. Finally, I never said Rubino left Windows Central, so you are the one who seems to be not only triggered but also confused. Your apology is accepted and another Apple fanboy invading Windows spaces is silenced.
Apples quality has been almost unbeatable as a complete package. Microsoft doesn’t have the software to backup their hardware. If you buy Apple products, they all work well, especially with each other. You definitely can’t say that about Microsoft, mostly because they make nothing but legacy PCs these days.
sorry rk, too long; didn't read
Still find my Duo far more exciting than any slab and love that Microsoft are the company that are always trying to innovate... Recently went on a business trip and used it as my only phone everyone I met was genuinely interested in the Duo and amazed how thin it was... All had never heard of it though! Ha ha ha... Was surprised how many times I found the two screens useful... So thanks Microsoft for bringing unique devices to the market, I for one will enjoy it while it lasts and then gently place it in the drawer with my Windows Phones, Surface 2, and Band 1 + 2 etc etc... 😊
i love that aspect of it, i just wish it would work properly
Where is Microsoft innovating? Haven't seen anything in a long time.
I think that the approach that ms is taking by working with google shows that they are serious about the duo line.
They are trying to get the experience into android itself not just their own proprietary launcher. It takes longer to do that. Much more work from the dev team to get code accepted and tested into a large codebase like android.
If they were not serious about it I am not sure they would go to such lengths.
Sure the experience is not as polished as Apple or Samsung but it is just their second year on it.
I think they are committed to the duo and the concept of duo screen devices for the long run.
I am excited and happy this device even exists; so I am being optimistic here. Loving the duo 2 so far.
Got used to its quirks quite easily but I am a developer and I am used to buggy software 😁.
We don’t know how close they have been working with Google. It is very likely the majority of 12l will be Fold centric and driven by Samsung for large folding screens. We have no indication that Microsoft is dedicated to the Duo, it actually seems the opposite. They are way behind on updates, Duo 1 is two versions behind! Reviews have been horrible and the price is insane. Just this article is an indication that Microsoft isn’t putting effort in. The Duo will be canceled early next year.
And the most recent update I got to my Duo 2 is just a security update. It's very telling.
I agree with some of his points, but if that is what he experienced then who am I to tell him he's wrong. With that being said my experience has been good for the most part on Surface DUO 2. Yes I have some bugs that irks me, but not many, just a few. I'm giving Microsoft one more update to fix these issues, if not I'm returning it and wait for a price drop. You're right about them not being Apple, they're not, they are a far better company than Apple and make better hardware imo. Apple is just able to get away with selling brainwashed people overpriced products that just isn't worth it, (even if they have bugs which they do from my experience, people is just afraid to call them on it). But neither is Microsoft's or Googles and Amazon's. They all need to chill on these prices. Just saying.
The hardware is good, but ironically Microsoft’s software has been bad. They struggle to make great software, Microsoft has been coasting on their legacy monopoly positions in Office and Windows. That won’t last forever. Microsoft is the only one who needs to chill on prices. Amazon and Google keep their products fairly cheap while Apple charges a reasonable price for their products. Microsoft is about the same price or even more expensive than a comparable Apple device. They have nothing to compete with the $300 iPad, the closest being the inferior $900 SPX.
There was never, ever anything about the device that I found attractive or useful. I felt it was a stupid idea from the start.
Then you obviously haven't ever used one for a significant amount of time. Based on that comment you've most likely never had Duo in your hands, because this is absolutely not true.
Then why did every other dual screen device get zero traction? It just isn’t a good idea in practice. ZTE, Kyocera, LG, and now Microsoft have proved it. The Axon M had decent hardware, you get all the same function as the Duo. Why didn’t you buy and praise one of them? Merely the lack of a Microsoft logo?
Warning - A Rant - I too am disapointed with the overpriced, buggy, terrible notifications, supported by no carrier device, called the Duo2 - As I have said before, if Microsoft redirected the effort they put into distracting us from their bad products, with woke virtual signaling, their products would be better. Better products would have a much more positive impact on our lives, than the idiotic Virtue signaling at the recent Ignite How in the world does opening Ignite, by listing the 14 "indigenous" tribes that occupied the land that your campus sits on help anyone? Better yet, why did you feel it necessary, to describe the color of your clothes, skin or gender to a blind person......why exactly would they care? The only reasons you would need to describe what you look like to a blind person, is that you believe that what you you look like is the most important aspects that define you as a person... STOP talking AT us, and wasting our time Microsoft! Just listen to us, your customers, and build better products!!
I agree with all of this. After ten years of buying MSFT hardware, I've been burnt by Gen 1 stuff. I've waited for Gen 2 or 3 as they have all the improvements and maturities they couldn't meet the initial launch dates with. I had such high hopes with Duo 2. I'm hoping we get Gen 3, with software to catch up. But, with Sataya, he likes to stay agile by championing new ideas and quickly kill unsuccessful ones early before they become money pits. I hope we make it to Gen 3, because there's so much more they can do with it.
got high hopes for gen 3... if we get one. msft has a history of giving up
Nice article, there is always a need for criticism and improvement in the world. I trust Microsoft is working on something big, just needs time. This is a phone for those who love Microsoft Windows Phone or who those who need 2 screens who can take the scraficaes. Still the best way out is Windows Phone, they can do it
Whenever getting into a debate, I try to look at both sides of the situation to provide a more insightful perspective. With that being said, I find it hard to disagree with anything in this article. My attempt is going to be focused on trying to look more at why we are seeing what we're seeing instead of just ranting about what we're seeing. People are fast to bring up Apple and Samsung products as comparisons because there are a lot of similarities between them, however there some pretty big differences that seem to be missed. The one thing that MSFT has complete control over with regards to the DUO line is the hardware. Most people won't complain that it's an amazing piece of "hardware." The issue that most people have is with the software. This is where MSFT has hurdles the Apple and to a far lesser degree Samsung. Apple is brazen about their products because the reality is if you like Apple products you only have one option....Apple. There are no other OEMs producing Apple hardware of software. That's a luxury MSFT doesn't have on the Duo line. Samsung as been producing Android devices for over 15 years so they have a long working history and body of work regarding working with Google. MSFT lacks on both plains that both Apple and Samsung are finding success on. Look at the other Surface products. Do you see the same litany of software issues? Of course not. Why not? They have complete control of everything. Honestly MSFT needs to really consider at least making it possible to have windows 11 function on the DUO series to provide a better relationship with the software development and deployment. Most people will cringe at that idea because of the failed history of Windows Phone. Well are we seeing an amazing increase of consumers gravitating to the DUO despite that fact that it runs Android? Not at all. In fact there were a lot more market share of Windows Phone users than Surface DUO users. So the question is even with a buttery smooth mobile OS, would the DUO series get the traction it needs to sustain relevance? My assumption would be no, because what has truly hindered MSFT just as much as anything else has been what Apple of Google excel at....marketing!!! The Surface Duo established relevancy because not only was it a very good device, but it had the marketing to back it up with the catchy slogan of "The tablet that can replace your laptop". MSFT needs to position the DUO in the same way.
I also have to agree with this article. Since the Pixel 1 and Note 7, I've gone back and forth between those series of phones because of the camera. But I couldn't resist the Duo 2 so I picked one up. Once I got past the "strange and goofy" feel of it, I began to see what this device was. And liked it so much, I popped my SIM into it to try day to say use. Sadly, I am encountering way too many quirks and bugs, even after "December Update" to consider this say to day, especially with the camera not consistent and low light being terrible. I'm going to try day to day a few more weeks but I may go back to my S21 Ultra with my Galaxy Watch 4 as it feels pretty cohesive and works better with YourPhone.

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