9 ms·
Available for preorder today, Surface Duo
- Yhippa 6y agoAs someone who has been using split screen on Android frequently as of late this device is intriguing. The one thing I'm not sold on yet is the keyboard but maybe I need to literally have it in my hands before I pass on it. Price is definitely steep. They clearly know their market.
- war1025 6y agoLooks like a neat device. I watched the ad for it, and the thing that stood out to me was I think the "cast" was entirely female. I wonder if that was intentional? Is there any reason this would be marketed at women specifically?
- floren 6y agoWell, it looks a little chunky to go in my pants pocket, so maybe they're figuring it'll be carried in a purse? The hardware looks nice but I'm rather let down to see it's just running Android.
- jeroenhd 6y agoThe best I can come up with is the stereotype that women are better at multitasking? Something sexist like that probably wouldn't work out well for Microsoft so I doubt there's much behind it. I'm not sure though, the commercial is a sort of story about a group of women planning to go on a trip. That's entirely reasonable, I don't see what gender has to do with the product. It's not like they sell a pink and a blue one for girls and boys or anything.
- sosborn 6y agoWhat's really interesting (scary? sad?) is that the "issue" would never come up if the cast was all men.
- war1025 6y agoI guess that was more what I was wondering. Was the all-female cast intentional or just incidental to the team that worked on the ad? I think it's perfectly fine either way, but I was curious.
- belorn 6y agoYou have never seen people complain about advertisement where everyone illustrated are male?
- mhh__ 6y agoWe have all women movies now so why not all women consumer electronics adverts?
- dgellow 6y agoI understood the question as: "Is Microsoft trying to target female demographics with this device, and if yes why?"
- gr33nman 6y agoMaybe their market research showed that women were wanting a tablet-size device that could fit into a small purse?
- kumarharsh 6y agoI was very excited for it, but it is way too expensive (sensible, given the experimental nature) and seems like US only (nonsensical)... Did the first iPhone or Pixel launch in US only?
- mandeepj 6y ago> Did the first iPhone or Pixel launch in US only? iPhone - Yes, and was only available on At&t for the initial 5 yrs
- vondur 6y agoI agree, looks pretty cool, I was hoping for somewhere around $500 price point.
- w0m 6y ago500 I'd probably pre-order one if reviews were decent. 1400... ugh. :/
- kumarharsh 6y agoI'll order 3 if it was for $500!!! (•‿•)
- A4ET8a8uTh0 6y agoEh, I am underwhelmed. Android based device that appears to be overpriced based on available stats ( starting $1399 ). I am not certain if MS learned anything from Windows Mobile flop ( or learned the wrong lesson ). Then again, I am not its target demographic. MS Surface line never entered my consideration.
- kanobo 6y agoInteresting, has there been any reviews for this yet? All the screenshots look like it's just two phones next to each other instead of one UI that takes advantage of its unique form factor. I'm also surprised they don't use bing as the default search engine in their screenshots, is that a aosp requirement? Finally, this makes me want to dust off my nintendo ds.
- withinboredom 6y agoI've played with the emulator, it's pretty neat, but I didn't get the point.
- lazy_dumb_coder 6y agoSync with PC requires Windows. Smh.
- mongol 6y agoIt is Android, but is it Google's Android, with Play services etc?
- gowld 6y agoThe store page says "full Play Store"
- etaioinshrdlu 6y agoThe screenshot looks a good deal like any other Android device, but with Edge instead of Chrome. Is this Microsoft's first Android device?
- city41 6y agoI believe it is, based on this: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/08/microsofts-surface-duo-is-1400-and-comes-with-a-tiny-3600mah-battery/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/08/microsofts-surface-d... I find that very interesting and even significant. The Microsoft of 10 years ago would never in a million years use someone else's OS. I see it as a good thing.
- Rebelgecko 6y agoI might be misremembering the chronology, but I think that the MS and Nokia partnership/acquisition resulted in some Android devices
- mongol 6y agoDid it? I think Android only appeared on Nokia after the brand was resurrected, after Microsoft had exited it?
- sp332 6y agoI didn't realize that. But there was at least the Nokia X, launched by MS in 2014 with a modified Android 4.1.2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_X https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_X
- on_and_off 6y agoI am not sure who this is for ? I don't want to sound negative (and have to admit I don't represent the whole population) so if this appeals to you, can you explain to me why please ? As much as I dream of the day where you will be able to just change your screen size on a whim, we don't have the tech yet. And it seems to me that if you need more screen estate, you will just get a tablet, not an hybrid ?
- gowld 6y agoIt's an 8" screen (better than 4" or 6") that folds to a compact size where a tablet is too awkward to carry. They seem to think people use the phone has a handset without headphones/speaker, which is a bit strange.
- jamesrcole 6y agoThe idea of it appeals to me. Phone size and weight, and thus portability, yet I can quickly and easily switch to viewing and working with the same details on a larger screen when that'd be useful. That can't be as effectively achieved with two separate devices.
- Voliokis 6y agoI currently own a Galaxy S6 Tab. I use it for note-taking and reading books (primarily non-fiction and technical PDFs). Portability is always an issue with tablets. I don't always have my tablet with me, and even when I do, it can be inconvenient to pull it out of my bag. This seems to be 5,6" closed, which sounds like something that might fit into my pants pocket, then I could always have it with me. I've tried using a recent Samsung Note, but found the lack of screen space too much of a constraint that I ended up selling it again fairly quickly. I'm definitely interested, though of course I'm not 100% sure it'll fit my needs until I actually try it for a week. The pricing is also iffy. I'm not sure I'm willing to give such an expensive device a try, especially with Microsoft's poor record when it comes to QA on their Surface line in general.
- tw04 6y agoI'm on the fence just based on the camera. Thats' my 1, 2 & 3 decision maker at this point with young kids. The universal feedback I've seen from peers who are considering the pre-order is: I can stop carrying around an iPad. $1399 replaces an ipad and a phone for them. Time will tell if the usability matches their expectations.
- yodon 6y agoI want a Surface Single-o. No need for a fragile and hard to hold hinge. Just a phone with a screen the size of one side of that Duo, offering the biggest single pane that will fit easily in the back pocket of a pair of jeans. Please.
- indy 6y agoSurface Uno?
- yodon 6y agoSurface Uno is the platform as a whole, not a single screen device (unfortunately)
- dcuthbertson 6y agoI'm holding out for the Surface Jacob's Ladder :-) [0] [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%27s_ladder_(toy) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%27s_ladder_(toy)
- whywhywhywhy 6y ago>No need for a fragile and hard to hold hinge. Perhaps you're naive to the Surface design team's experience with hinges but judging from that pedigree it's extremely unlikely they haven't engineered the heck out of it.
- gowld 6y agoWhy the bezel on the hinge? That's the one place you actually want an screen-to-edge experience that is terrible on every non-folding phone.
- ogre_codes 6y agoThe argument here seems to be "It can replace an iPad and a phone", but I'm not so sure it can replace either one. Setting aside the fact that Android tablet software is still a bit of a mess, are people going to want to watch movies and play games on a tablet with a big crack in the middle? Even surfing the web, you can't really view a page well in landscape. Likewise spreadsheets, word processing, etc Apps like email which do well with multiple panes would be great, but only if they can mind the gap. So much of what I use the iPad for is full screen, I'm a bit skeptical about how well those things translate to 2 half screens.
- thelazydogsback 6y agoThe "crack" doesn't bother me -- but then again, I'd never want to watch a movie on anything less than a 15" screen anyway -- but I'm old I guess. "Two apps at once" is good, but the winner to me is master-detail support in all apps when it makes sense, without fussing around with child/popup windows, tabs or dividers -- this is a huge productivity gain, IMHO. (E.g., email list in bottom, selected email on top, etc.)
- ogre_codes 6y ago> but the winner to me is master-detail support in all apps when it makes sense Assuming all the apps in question support this view. I'm sure Microsoft's tools will. Not sure about how many others. > this is a huge productivity gain, IMHO. Versus what? On an iPad/ tablet, you can have splits where it makes sense int he interface. On this, you are stuck with the hardware split. Obviously it's way better than a phone if that's your compare. So if your job can be done on a phone, this is maybe the boss.
- jasonv 6y agoI'd be excited for an updated iPad Mini.
- rcarmo 6y agoThe mini 5 is barely a year old, and a powerhouse.
- ntsplnkv2 6y agoTwo screens and a hinge with mediocre OS - $1399. Can't imagine this will be popular at all.
- whywhywhywhy 6y agoWhat phone OS would you suggest they use? I mean they're using the worlds most popular one.
- ntsplnkv2 6y agoNone - the product will be a failure, because it doesn't solve any problems. A phone OS, then why not use a phone? Oh, bigger screen? Use a tablet. With huge phones nowadays this just doesn't serve a market. it's a glorified nintendo DS for 1399. Embarassing.
- whywhywhywhy 6y agoOh just do nothing then ok, just shut the company down I guess why bother. I mean if it's not successful now it never will be right? Why even try. You do realize a world existed before Apple made the iPod and the iPhone right?
- ntsplnkv2 6y agoNot even an attempt at a clever strawman. Microsoft should focus on actual innovation. We've reached stagnation in SV - it's all an adtech scam now. A bifold phone with no new technology. Just tape it together and call it "innovation." Apple is in a rut too, but Apple has released more interesting hardware than microsoft has in ages. New Xbox - glorified gaming PC with no unique titles at Launch. Halo Infinite had graphics from 2014. Windows 10 spies on you, has a terrible dual infrastructure OS with newschool apps and old school control panel. Oh and I'm supposed to think Teams which really just stole ideas from everyone else is innovative.
- nxc18 6y agoI was a windows phone user for ages, I’ve got several surfaces, and I’m super hyped about dual screen phones. Unfortunately this device just isn’t made for 2020 (or 2017) usage: small battery with no wireless charging, not waterproof, no NFC (aka no wireless payments), questionable/unproven camera, processor with 2017 specs driving two screens. On top of all that, surface has particularly bad hardware reliability. Of the devices I’ve owned, each has had to be factory serviced. My Nokia phones from the windows phone 8 era all needed to be factory serviced. And all that for the low price of two iPhones. Sadly this is yet another innovative device that will be killed by making the wrong trade offs. I expect it to be copied and executed much better by Apple or maybe Samsung (I tried the Note 10 recently and the stylus is much better than the surface pen).
- ogre_codes 6y agoSamsung already has a folding phone, and it seems pretty clear they are going to push hard on the flexible OLED screens since it's something no-one else currently does well.
- eightysixfour 6y agoI actually think this device was made for me. I carry an iPhone for my personal phone, but I keep a separate device for work where most of the things you just mentioned don't matter. I need it to last a work day and waterproofing, NFC, and the camera won't matter to me in that context, etc. There is a good chance this will replace my laptop for ~75% of my work, which is dominated by meetings, not focused work time.
- jszymborski 6y agoMight I ask what your use-case is?
- eightysixfour 6y agoMy role is a bit delivery management and a bit account management so I have a lot of facetime (well, pre-COVID) with B2B clients and I am also responsible for making sure delivery teams are on track. An average day for me is 50%+ meetings and the rest of the time is spend coordinating actions (slack, text, emails, JIRA boards, Aha, etc.) as a result of those. Right now I bounce around between a laptop (Surface Pro) and a paper notebook. I could also probably do most of my job with an iPad Pro but the idea of the split screen appeals to me enough for me to overcome the switching cost that, for whatever reason, the iPad Pro did not. Having a decade old note taking system that I still actively use inside of OneNote is also a contributor to my interest. My biggest fear for the Duo is that the stylus experience is subpar, so I'll certainly be trying that out first.
- aloer 6y agoFor context, this seems to be related to or inspired by the courier concept from 10+ years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Courier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Courier
- AdmiralAsshat 6y agoWow, I didn't know I needed a phone with two screens to be able to listen to music while doing something else!
- core-questions 6y agoHere I was using a _stereo_ to do that
- SimianLogic2 6y agoAt $600-$800 I think I'd give it a go--basically an iPad Mini (a form factor which I love) that folds up when not in use. I'm surprised they didn't show more gaming applications. I think you could use half the screen as a controller and the other half to play the games and that would be an upgrade over most current touch controls.
- pjmlp 6y agoI love my Windows phones, but alongside Project Reunion this looks like a capitulation that the Windows strategy for mobile devices is a lost battle. Even Windows 10X now looks like it won't be coming as expected. Given how the whole Android ecosystem works, in terms of updates and Java support, is not as I would like, but I guess one needs to take such things how they are and not how they could be. So "Courier" could have been Windows, but it ended up being Android based.
- dgellow 6y agoI don't really care if this product is successful or not, but I want to say that I'm glad to see hardware experiments from Microsoft. Not a lot of company are willing to experiment with different form factor at the scale of Microsoft, so it's nice to see some attempt to innovate!
- a2tech 6y agoWhen I first looked at this article I thought maybe I had slipped and time and it was April 1st, but no, its a real product. I'd love to know the chain of thought to this thing being created--what problems was it supposed to solve, and for what kind of customer?
- karmakaze 6y agoGiven the choice between this and the Surface Go 2, I'd take the latter--it runs an OS that can run things I use. It's either have something less convenient that's useful, or something that's more convenient but still requires me to keep another device to use for some other things. Maybe some day MS will make the Surface Duo run Android apps on a full OS, or make enough changes to Android to make it a usable as a primary not consumption-oriented device.
- dgellow 6y agoHmm, based on the last picture the pen seem to be an additional device on the side, I don't see a way to attach it to the Duo itself via magnet or another mechanism. Maybe a missed opportunity here, it's always annoying to have the pen somewhere else when you need to use it.
- ss3000 6y agoSince so many of the screenshots show them running a separate Android app on each screen, I wonder if the apps themselves actually run simultaneously. Or if it's like Android apps on my Chromebook where only a single active app actually runs, while all other apps get suspended in the background, even if they're visible. The latter would make this concept pretty useless so I hope they actually solved this and are planning on upstreaming the changes so all future devices can benefit.
- awiesenhofer 6y agoThis (and the Galaxy Fold i guess) could be the perfect sysadmin/on-call device - except for the price maybe. Small enough to carry around and use as a normal phone day-to-day but offers actually usable screenspace for remote sessions, docs, etc. if the need arises. Also weirdly reminds me of the Sony Vaio P for some reason.
- stunt 6y agoI guess you have to be a tablet user to really see the value. The fact that tablet users have more screen realstate increases their desire to want more on their screen. While for example I as a mobile user can't think of much use-cases because I'm used to a different user experience and my expectations are different. I'm not sure if Microsoft strategy to call it a new device category instead of tablet is effective though. I can imagine if Apple was doing it, they would just call it a fold-able/dual-screen tablet.
- RandomBacon 6y agoHow long will it receive updates? How fast will those updates be pushed out?
- oliyoung 6y agoStill think one of the biggest "mistakes" pre-Satya Microsoft made was dumping the Courier project, this is just that ten years later
- abdulla 6y agoI was really excited for this, I want to buy it and am willing to compromise for 1st generation hardware. But no NFC means it impacts my life substantially, from payments to public transport. I hope they reconsider the lack of NFC for the next generation.