Try not to cry as you watch JerryRigEverything tear apart a Surface Duo

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The Surface Duo stands up to a beating in its teardown on JerryRigEverything.

Surface Duo 2020
Surface Duo 2020 (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • JerryRigEverything just shared a video of a teardown of the Surface Duo.
  • The Surface Duo is scratched, bent, and burned, all in the name of science.
  • The Surface Duo is available today, starting at $1,400.

Microsoft's Surface Duo is an almost impossibly thin folding device. Microsoft spent years refining its design and figuring out how to make it so thin while also being able to flip its screens 360 degrees. Popular YouTuber Zack Nelson recently shared a video of his teardown of the Surface Duo, giving us even more insight into the device.

For those who haven't seen Nelson's content before, he doesn't tear tech apart for the fun of it, or at least that isn't the only reason he does it. Nelson puts devices through several tests, such as a scratch test to determine screen hardness. He also opens up devices to see how they're made and how they compare to other pieces of technology.

Nelson's teardown of the Surface Duo cuts its plastic buttons, scratches its screen, burns its display with a lighter, and bends it in half (not the way it's meant to fold).

While we don't recommend replicating any of the tests from the video, the Surface Duo does flex a surprising amount during the bend test. The hinge seems to give the device some durability. Nelson doesn't break the Surface Duo in half in the video, though it is quite bent.

JerryRigEverything Surface Slim Pen

Source: JerryRigEverything (Image credit: Source: JerryRigEverything)

Nelson doesn't stop at destroying the Surface Duo for the sake of science and investigation. He also bends a Surface Slim Pen until it breaks in half, slices it open, and looks at its components. Nelson also briefly looks at the Surface Bumper Case, though he doesn't seem to think that it's one of the best Surface Duo cases.

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Microsoft Surface Duo

Two screens are better than one

Microsoft delves into the future of foldables with an ambitious dual-screen device, featuring two ultra-thin 5.6-inch AMOLED displays bound by a 360-degree hinge. This pocketable inking-enabled Android smartphone marks the latest in the Surface lineup, geared for mobile productivity.

Microsoft Surface Duo

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Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott

Sean Endicott is the news writer for Windows Central. If it runs Windows, is made by Microsoft, or has anything to do with either, he's on it. Sean's been with Windows Central since 2017 and is also our resident app expert. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.
14 Comments
  • Nooooo.... My heart... I just watched the unboxing video by Unbox Therapy and the commenters there were talking about JerryRig tearing into one... And now it's here? Noooo....
  • Reading this on my Duo. Will. Not. Watch. The video. I've watched his other videos for devices I own but I can't watch this one.
  • I watched this one but will not be watching the full teardown video. That one will be worse if iFixit's rating is anything to go by.
  • @Deaconclgi I dare ya to watch this on your duo 😁😂.
  • You’ll be happy to know the device survived. It looks beat up at the end, but still runs. If anything I’m impressed.
  • The Duo scratches at a level 6, with deeper grooves at a level 7. Unlike Apple, Microsoft does not boast about their unique sapphire screens. I'm impressed.
  • Stupid 😏I know it's a stress test, but it's just plain stupid.
  • So we now know Due construction is very good...therefore most of $1,400 you're paying goes into the build quality rather than features and software...!
  • it works great! I'm even running a 3DS emulator on it. this thing can do things that no other phone really can match. that alone makes it worth it. a $1400 Note 20 Ultra is functionally the same as a $300 phone (except for the pen functionality).
  • @dirtyvu There is a PSP emulator in the android app store and that would be a better test 😋.
  • Which is good. Having this extraordinary design (good looking, thin and light) and built quality they have "only" to improve the software, which can be done simply with regular updates, and upgrade internal components (processor, ram, camera) in the next generations. In the process, I hope they can reduce the top and bottom frames...
  • Got round to watching the durability test vid of the Duo. All I felt was, Eh... it was just another durability test. Althought it made me eager to see the tear down of the duo and that's primarily because I'm just curious haha. I was disappointed he didn't test the surface slim pen out on the duo as opposed to just snacking the slim pen like a tooth pick lol.
  • They already test them during development, this is just for show.
  • Sadly, I knocked my Duo off of a table, a good four feet, hit the concrete, probably hit a leg support on the way down, and I freaking cracked the screen. And I didn't get the insurance. So $650 to replace! But just hairline cracks and the screen works perfectly. Still, I'm bummed.