Customer Ratings & Reviews

For a first gen device, it is decent. It takes a short time getting used to the two screens however it is very nice / productive once you do get accustomed to it. I love the ability to pull up my lectures for school on one display and write notes with the pen on the bottom display. I won't go without saying the phone does glitch every now and then where a simple lock then closing the phone and reopening it will usually fix it. I do believe more time needs to be put into the software to detect orientation and folding angle. However every update appears to improve the phone. (Still waiting on Android 11 though...) The display is very pleasing to look at, nice and crisp. The camera is above average, but it could be better. The battery life has been phenomenal with light everyday use of the phone.

I have had my Microsoft Duo for over a week and despite being discouraged to buy it from The sales associate, I am very satisfied. Most impressive features are the multitasking functionality, tremendous battery life, seamless intergration for mirroring my Duo on my computer, and the ability to use my surface pen with my Dou. The quality surpasses the competition with the use of strong glass screens on the inside as well as the front and back cover. Fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone is the best I have ever seen. The Duo comes with a bumper for added protection. I love the fact that it integrates with my computer. I can text from my computer, open and run phone apps from my computer, and best of all I can text right from my computer. It also allows me to transfer photos and files with ease. After a week of use, I am very pleased. I did research online that was very unfavorable toward the Duo. If you do your own online research, I recommend watching videos that are no older than 2 months. This is because many updates have occurred since then which fixed alot of the issues. Quality of this phone is to notch. You definitely feel like your holding a premium device. Screens are high quality with no concerns for scratching. Quality hinge too. Camera is not bad either. Value. Assigning value to a phone is always such a personal thing. Yes it's expensive ( but not as expensive as it's competition). I am a heavy multitasking user, who was using the Note. For me the value was worth it. Ease of use. I was up and running immediately after putting my sim card in the phone. All of my contacts and data transferred with no problems using both my Microsoft info and Google info. If you want a sales associate to walk you through the features of this phone, you will be very disappointed. When I arrived, I was immediately told NOT to buy this phone and was redirected to the more expenses Samsung device. The sales associates are unfamiliar with the Duo and their training on the Duo consisted of watching a video. The in-store demo model ws not working. Very low score from me on the customer service aspect It's a dual SCREEN, NOT one large foldable screen. That is an important distinction when it comes to the multitasking aspect. I have not experienced any of the issues that I read or saw online. Flipping the camber from sefie to standard mode is working well and it has enough memory to hold all of my apps from my Samsung Note. It's runs fast and the screen scroll speed has never been an issue for me (no lag or jumping). All my Bluetooth devices connected with ease with the exception of my fossil watch. I cannot get it to connect and already ordered a new Samsung watch). Over Christmas I traveled 2.5 hrs with Google maps open on my phone, Spotify running, and my sound up all the way. When I reached my destination I still had 34% battery remaining. Camera phone quality is probably average. I included a photo. You can see textures and it handles highlights and shadow areas well. In all this is a first generation phone that will likely have some issues that get fixed with updates, but if you are a multitasking, you will not be disappointed.

Pros Thin and elegant look Seems impossibly thin Hinge is excellent Hinge stays where you put it 360 hinge rotation means it can still work like a regular phone Aspect ratio is good for web browsing More screen real estate Color calibration looks very good Screen gets very bright Battery life is good considering thinness Excellent fingerprint sensor Split screen allows new workflows Makes a great standing light Adds new functionality for apps that support it Doesn’t require app support to work The sound it makes when closing gives a sense of quality Microsoft has committed to 3 years of monthly updates Works with Surface Pen Cons Software still buggy Antennas seem weak Buttons are too sensitive Camera performance is lackluster Top and bottom bezels are massive Only one basic speaker Protective cases will be limited with the 360 degree hinge Hard to hold for smaller hands Oleophobic screen coating doesn’t work well Quick launching camera via power button requires logging in Switching between selfie and regular photo is cumbersome Screen seems to have more than usual glare No NFC No wireless charging It’s nice to see the smartphone industry having new and interesting options again. In this case, the Surface Duo chooses an arguably safer route of two separate screens versus a folding screen with the belief that multitasking is more useful than just a larger screen. When reading this review, please keep in mind that it is being rated based on a new category of devices, not directly to other smartphones. Comparing it standard phones is not a completely fair comparison because it is doing new things completely unlike traditional smartphones. In fact, Microsoft never even calls it a phone. It’s a new category of device that can function as a phone. Design The first thing that strikes you when opening the box is how thin this device is. Videos on the internet already show you this but seeing it in person helps you realize this even more. When opened, one side is barely thicker than just the metal portion of a USB-C plug. The design is an aluminum frame with gorilla glass 5 on the screen sides and back sides. This not only helps make the device reasonably rigid for its thinness, but also makes it look more premium with the chrome windows logo beneath the glass. It has a volume up and down rocker, power button, and a fingerprint sensor all on the same side. The hinge side is curved polished metal. Its operation has a slight resistance that allows it to maintain whatever position it is placed while still moving smoothly. The other sides are all squared off edges. The smooth side feels so nice in the hand it makes you wish Microsoft would allow more curves in their design language. Curves on all sides would mean no matter the way it was held it would never dig into your hand. For an experiment, you can hold the spine of the Duo in your palm and feel how the slight radius feels comfortable. Switch to the other side and you will feel it dig into your hand. New use cases It would be hard to describe every way you can use the Surface Duo as this new form factor adds quite a bit of functionality, but there a few standout cases with some not already shown in promotional videos. First, as a phone you have two options. You can leave it closed and flip the hinge 360 degrees when answering. This might be slightly safer but doesn’t allow one handed operation. The other is just leaving it unfolded in your pocket. All the glass is the same so leaving the screens on the outside is not any more dangerous than on any other slab phone. In the end, cellphone usage is probably its weakest usage but it is still very much usable. Texting on the other hand is good but could be great if they could work out the software kinks. If you use the messaging app full screen then the keyboard becomes a full size keyboard on the bottom and your message thread show up on the top, much like the slider phones in the early days that were made for heavy texting use. Browsing the web is another surprisingly pleasing thing to do. It might be hard to imagine how browsing the web on a regular smartphone isn’t good until you use a screen in the Duo’s form factor. You get more text on the screen while keeping it larger. Images don’t have to be stacked in a column and can be side to side more like on desktop without looking tiny. Dual screen mode is a no brainer. Just choose your two apps and put one on each screen. This doesn’t require special apps support and works just fine. The question is how often is spanning both screens usable. Some apps don’t really benefit from the full screen experience, such as YouTube. It just distracts as it often puts a vertical line right in the middle of the person’s face. Apps like Google News work well full screen if you rotate the phone 180 degrees. The app doesn’t understand the second screen, but you can scroll through far more articles and when reading an article, you can see more of it. The hinge doesn’t detract from the experience much either since it just blends in as a horizontal line between text. What is surprising is the gap is so close, that if Microsoft was able to shave maybe 2-3mm off the width of the spine, this format might even be usable in full, dual screen in most cases. One interesting way of using the Duo hasn’t seemed to be mentioned by anyone so far is my favorite and the most unique. It makes a great flashlight stand. Any smartphone today has a flashlight option but since the Duo has two screens, you can prop up that light however you wish to help you out. No need to awkwardly prop it up against something and have it fall down. Just position the hinge in the best position and either stand it up or lay it down and you have the perfect work light. This sounds like a joke but this has already proven itself on several occasions to be very handy. Of course, there could be many more use cases if apps add support and that’s a big “if”. It would be amazing to see games become aware of the dual screen and use the bottom screen for controls or inventory selection. One accidental case that was already uncovered was battleship. Some versions accidentally span the gap perfectly, so your ships are on the bottom screen and the enemies are on top. It would be great to see if this happens, but the Duo and other split screen phones would have to get some real traction for this to happen. Performance If you know of the Surface Duo, you already know it uses and older processor. In practice, this doesn’t seem to equate to any noticeable performance impact. On the other hand, the requirement of adding a separate 5G chip and the larger battery which is required for anyone using newer SOCs would have had a negative impact on the size. At this point, 5G won’t be significant for a few years and hopefully by that time the 5G modem could be included in the SOC and battery life wouldn’t be affected so heavily. As it stands now, sticking with a slightly older process has actually been good because even though the battery is very small by modern standards, the battery life is actually comparatively good. The only real question is the performance impact of having only 6gb of RAM. Other manufacturers have shown careful optimization can make it unnoticeable but only time will tell. Stability and concerns The following observations are after the latest update. First of all, the Duo currently experiences random temporary freezes. You just have to wait for a few seconds before things work again. Next would be the gesture bar and navigation. Some of the issues are related to understanding the new way gestures work but other times it is an actual problem. For example, the gesture bar randomly disappears leaving you with no way to do anything. Other times it stays on the side even when you rotate. Other times when you open an app in full screen and click on the link the entire app will rotate 180 degrees from where you were for no reason and won’t rotate back. Often the notification shade will retract back up immediately after you pull it down causing a tug of war. Another would be quick launching the camera via a double tap on the power button. If you click on the camera icon on the screen you can jump straight to the camera but the “quick” method of double clicking the power button requires you to log in. Until this is fixed quick shots will be harder than they already are with this format. Most gripes are software related and could be fixed via a future update. Microsoft has committed to 3 years of monthly updates so hopefully these glitches are just the result of a premature launch. This leaves us with the hardware issues. First, the power and volume buttons are just too sensitive allowing accidental activation. Next is the vibration motor. It’s not the worst but sometimes you can hear it vibrate inside the case. The single speaker is inadequate. Finally, there is the camera. Taking photos in lower light take several seconds only to come up with a grainy or blown out photo. Daytime shots lack detail and skin tones look pale. Others have shown with good AI, great pictures can come from a basic camera. Hopefully Microsoft could work some magic and improve the AI on this camera. Final Thoughts Overall, the Surface Duo is a solid reentry into the mobile space. Considering it is a first-generation device for a new category, overall quality is very good. If you are an early adopter who likes to work with new and innovative technology, the Surface Duo could suite you. For others, unless you are just itching for something completely new and, you likely be best served waiting for the next generation Duo. Microsoft has a track record of making impactful improvements in the second and third generation hardware after hearing from their customers. This product was received free of charge from the invitation-only Best Buy insider program in exchange for my honest review.

The device is simply amazing so far, with only a few dislikes. The pros for sure out way the cons, here’s how! Pros: Screens beautiful Performance fast and smooth most times Hardware BEST I’ve every held Battery has been good so far, should last all day. (Charges pretty quick) Speaker is loud, but there’s only one Camera takes good photos Using two apps at once is very nice! Email open on one side, and messages view on the other is so nice. No more jumping back and forth with replying. You can simply look on the other screen. Media and gaming. Plays games with ease, and watching videos is great. Cons: No stereo speakers Software will need some updates over time, kinda clunky at times and it’s sluggish most of the time. The gestures will take some time getting used to, but they are not bad. Once you use it for about an hour, you are golden. Camera is not bad, and photos look great. Videos is super weak though, and needs a software update. Price: For the price, a few things are missing. NFC, wireless charging, headphone jack, no external window to see who’s calling. This is in fact the device I needed, as I can edit and do other things at the same time. Long emails are great on this device, and video chat is simply smooth. With a few tweaks to the software, this will be a device many people will turn to. Having more than one screen is just great, simply put. This device was provided to me by an invitation-only program which provides products for the purpose of writing honest, and unbiased reviews. All things posted are my own thoughts, and opinions!

I really like this device. Though it's one you should be a little patient with. The camera is OK. The more light you have, the better. I love typing on this thing. It can be a little glitchy but nothing that makes unusable. It's a great form factor. I can't wait for the second iteration of this device. Battery life is good. The screens are great. Using this android device with Microsoft custom skin is nice as well. Inking on this device is what u would expect from a Surface. You won't get premium sound from this thing but that's what headphones are for. I would definitely recommend this to techies if they don't already have it and people who like being early adopters but it's not for everybody.... Yet.

The Surface Duo is Microsoft's return to the mobile scene since 2016 with the Lumia 650 being their last release until today. Since Windows Mobile OS is no longer here what we get instead is a collaboration from Google and Microsoft on creating the ultimate productivity device with the Android OS. Microsoft decided to make a big splash with a foldable device. First-gen products usually come with bugs and let’s just say it shows with the Surface Duo. Let’s start off with the good stuff in the unit itself. Before I received the device I watched a lot of videos about the Surface Duo mostly they were about the hardware since Microsoft had an embargo on the software side. The majority of the feedback was positive about the hardware. When I finally got to unbox it myself, the pictures and videos made it seem like a large device. The first thing that stands out is the thinness of the device. Even when it’s closed it still manages to be slightly thicker than my Galaxy Note 10+ device. Open it up and be prepared to be wow. It gets thinner but still feels solid in the hand without feeling that it is going to snap in half or bend. Bravo to Microsoft not only on trying to make the device as pocketable as it can be but also on the craftsmanship of the hinge mechanism. The resistance when folding the device back and forth it’s just perfect and smooth. Unlike other folding devices where you can only have it on an open or closed posture, the Surface Duo doesn’t have this limitation. You can have it on book mode, tent mode, or fold it all the way back for single-screen mode. It’s a 360-degree hinge there’s no limitation on what angle you want to stop. Build quality doesn’t just end with the hinge; what you have is a glass on glass design that is glued on strongly. The outside and inside are glass. There is a concern for drop reliability. At the end of the day, it’s glass and it happens to be your lucky day where it falls on the right angle it’s going to crack. Since there is no wireless charging I would have preferred if they made the outside out of magnesium instead like the Surface devices. There is no headphone jack, just your USB C charging port on the bottom right side of the second screen. When you open up the device you are greeted by two 5.6 Amoled panels with a resolution of 1800x1350 (4:3) aspect ratio that can be combined to an 8.1 (3:2) aspect ratio screen with a gap in the middle. These pairs of screens are top-notch quality and they are bright crisp with vivid colors. You do have the option to set it sRGB mode if you find the colors to be too saturated for your taste. I recommend setting the display size to small to take advantage of the extra real estate you get from the 4:3 format. The default setting to me felt like wasted space since apps are optimized for the narrow screen instead of the wider format. With the setting being small the apps are displayed as a tablet format instead if they support. As you can see on the screenshot I’ve included on my other phone the ESPN app will show either the news or scores not both like they do on the Surface Duo. It does make everything smaller, especially text but you can always increase the text size to help. Since Microsoft intended this to be a productivity device the 4:3 format is much more suited for this type of environment. It allows you to see a lot more information without having to scroll or zoom in/out constantly with emails, text messages or documents. There is only a single camera that can be used to take selfie pictures or rear pictures by flipping the device over. Camera quality is decent as long as you're not expecting Pixel 4 or iPhone 11 Pro-quality. You should be satisfied with the day time pictures it produces. Since there is no night mode night time shots take a huge hit. You also get a slow-motion recording and up to 4k 60fps too. The hardware is not perfect though there are some slight gaps between the glass and frame that stick out. It’s almost like the device is too thin for its internals. Since it doesn’t flex I'm not worried about it coming undone since it’s glued down pretty good. It is a bummer when going from stereo speakers to a mono speaker but it gets the job done and plenty loud for calls and media consumption. For the most part, Microsoft did an excellent job with the hardware side. Software is where things start to fall apart. The main issues I’ve encountered so far are the gestures not working properly, the accelerometer sensor being finicky, and touchscreen lag. To go home all you do is a full swipe from the bottom or halfway to go to the overview screen the same as you would on an IOS device. There have been several times it would fail to do this. Just trying to exit an app or switching apps becomes a frustrating process. I’ve also noticed half of the time the white bar goes missing making it much more difficult to execute those gestures. Without that white bar, you can’t switch the app to the other screen or stretch it out to both screens. Some of the other bugs I’ve come across are related to the two screens. Sometimes one of the screens goes completely dark and is not responsive. The accelerometer sensor is finicky when switching from landscape to portrait orientation especially when you have it fully open. If you go from portrait mode to landscape mode to use it as a tent posture sometimes you will get a pause for the system to catch up. It would go from the home screen showing instead for a second or two until the app shows up. With a single camera flipping the device should make the camera switch screens so you can either take a selfie or a rear picture, When you try this sometimes the accelerometer sensor freaks out and you end up going back and forth between screens. One of the ways to fix this is to either lock it and unlock it or open the screens. If you’re trying to capture a spontaneous moment by the time you get the camera going that moment most likely will be gone. And lastly is the lag when it comes to the touchscreen which might explain why the gestures are not fluid. I have been using Swiftkey for a couple of years now but on the Surface Duo, it just doesn’t feel the same. It’s like sometimes the touch screen sensor doesn’t register my input. I’ve noticed this on apps with just scrolling or trying to click on stuff. I want to say besides software optimization it can also be Android 10 not natively supporting dual screens. The Snapdragon 855 is still a capable CPU so it’s not that for sure. I think just not for OS stability but future-proofing at least a minimum of 8gbs of ram should have been included but preferably 12gbs would have been the sweet spot. More on this later on why this is very important. The recent updates that have been released have made it much better but not enough yet to not notice them. For me, it wasn’t enough to the point that it kept me from using the phone from normal usage. Since I haven’t had the phone locked up on me or anything like that would require me to reboot it constantly for now the issues are more of an inconvenience. Microsoft has said they planned to release monthly updates to address those issues. To me, the biggest difference-maker is how the Surface Duo handles two apps at the same time. Think of it like your dual display set up that you use for work. When you have a lot of data to manage to have dual displays makes this so much easier. Sure you can remedy this by getting a super widescreen monitor but you end up spending time having to adjust the applications side by side instead of just dragging it to the other display. Having dual screens is like each app gets its own island so that they can operate independently. With other folding devices, the foldout screen is still treated as a single screen. Even on my screenshot, you can see the apps side by side have that gap so it’s just the 2 screens stitched together. With this setup, you’re no longer limited by the app limitation. Some of the apps don’t support split-screen mode which is how Android handles two apps at the same time. So far I have not encountered any apps refusing to open side by side with another app. This has allowed me to have Outlook open along with Teams if I needed to reference something from an email without having to switch back and forth. Being able to have my text messages open to update contact information or save an address is so much easier when they’re open side by side. With that being said you can start to see why having more ram is important to keep things running smoothly and open in the background. Once you start to have a lot of things open you will probably end up seeing apps reloading. Imagine having a web page pulled up and going back sometime later to get that confirmation number and when you do is gone cause the browser tab had to reload. For a device meant to be the ultimate productivity on the go, the extra ram would have gone long ways to be beneficial. Ram is gold when it comes to multitasking and from keeping apps having to reload. It may not have the latest specs, the best camera, or be the best media consumption device. But in the end, you will appreciate it that it doesn’t when you’re able to get some work done. It’s tailor-made for that one purpose, which is to give you the freedom of doing more whether it is being productive or just being able to continue doing what you’re doing without stopping for example when you respond to a message. If it wasn’t for the lack of software optimization the Surface Duo could have made a bigger splash. I strongly believe with the release of Android 11 those bugs will be squashed for good. As long as you understand what you’re getting into with the Surface Duo I would say go for it. It comes down to you after reading if the Surface Duo still intrigues you. “Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.”

I've had my eye on the Surface Duo since it was announced. The dual screen approach was interesting to me and I liked the idea of it using Android, so all my apps can carry over. So, once I got the offer to test it through the Best Buy Tech Insider program (Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews), I jumped at the chance to test it out. The first thing I noticed when opening the box and holding the Duo was just how very nice the hardware itself is. It's impressively thin, even when closed. Barely thicker than my current phone when closed. The hinge feels excellent, and will stay at whatever position you put it in. Also, very subtle, elegant and minimal outer design. It looks especially nice. The buttons feel nice and "clickey", and the fingerprint sensor is conveniently placed on the side, just below the power button. It has been pretty accurate overall as well. I've added several of my fingers, since depending on how I pick up the Duo, I can have it unlocked as I'm lifting it up. Closing the Duo is also very satisfying. It doesn't slap closed or anything, and just "feels" good. Setup was very easy, especially since I was coming from another Android device. I was able to transfer my apps and settings easily, and was up and running pretty quickly. Using the Duo itself is overall pretty nice, however, I've encountered a few bugs along the way. Before release, as I was following the development of the Duo, I had read that an Android 11 update was in the works, and I believe this will help iron out some of the issues I've been having. Though, I expect a few of them will linger, since they're likely app-specific. For instance, Facebook Messenger is will automatically span both screens, so if you're using the Duo completely folded open, you don't see half the conversation. If you rotate the Duo to use both screens (vertically), the "Send" button in Messenger is basically right on the seam of the screens, making it very difficult to hit. I imagine this will be up to Facebook to address, but again, the Android 11 update may fix it. Also minor bugs like the wallpaper disappearing, or when using both screens like a book, the unused screen would "blank out" the area where the keyboard would be if it was opened on the other screen. I'm confident all these things will be ironed out. But, they do detract from the overall impressions. Probably my biggest issue with the Duo is the camera. In outdoor settings, it performs pretty decently. But, if there isn't a lot of light available, it really struggles. This may be a non-factor to some, but the camera is one of the most used pieces for me on a phone. It does use is a cool idea to handle the fact that it only has the one camera for the two screens. You fold the other screen all the way around and just rotate the Duo to either take a selfie or pointed at something else. It does a good job of recognizes which you're trying to use, but it isn't the fastest at getting to that point. If you're trying to quickly snap a photo of something, it takes a bit before it's ready to go. Especially if the Duo was starting from the closed-book position. I'm hoping some work can be done to improve the camera experience. Though, I'm not sure if it's a limitation of the camera hardware. Another couple of issues that I have is the lack of an always-on screen option. This is something I've gotten used to with phones over the last couple of years. It would be really nice to have the Duo with one screen folded all the way around and be able to see the time and notifications at a glance. What's strange is there is sort of an always-on mode when you have the Duo closed in the book position and kind of "peek" at the screen. It will show you the time/date and where to place your finger to unlock. I kind of wish this was just always available. Maybe it will be enabled with a future update. I also wish it had wireless charging available. While it charges quickly with a cable, the convenience of wireless charging is tough to lose. Finally, while not a huge loss for me personally, it may be for some. That's NFC. I don't use it too frequently, but it's nice to have as well. Performance and battery life are actually much better than I expected. I assumed powering two screens would drain the battery very quickly. I've been able to use it as much as I typically would, and I've been able to easily make it through the day. I've only encountered the slightest lag or hiccup when running two apps as well. I'm very impressed at how the Duo performs overall. I think when most people see the Duo, reading a book is probably one of the first things that comes to mind. Reading in general is excellent on the Duo. Especially in the Kindle app. It works very well. I've also found myself having two apps open at the same time a lot. It really does help you feel more productive. Researching on one screen and doing something on the other. I've yet to try a Surface pen on the Duo, and that will likely be up next. I'm interested to see how sketching will work on it, while having a subject on the other screen. Overall, if you're looking for a highly productive, ultra-portable device, this may fit the bill nicely. Especially if the camera isn't a high priority. Pros: Superb hardware design, premium feel, productivity, incredibly thin, battery life, great performance Cons: Camera feels a bit subpar, software bugs (though I think these will be ironed out quickly), price is a bit steep, no wireless charging, no always-on display (may be added in an update?), no NFC

The Surface Duo is Microsoft's return to the mobile scene since 2016 with the Lumia 650 being their last release until today. Since Windows Mobile OS is no longer here what we get instead is a collaboration from Google and Microsoft on creating the ultimate productivity device with the Android OS. Microsoft decided to make a big splash with a foldable device. First-gen products usually come with bugs and let’s just say it shows with the Surface Duo. Let’s start off with the good stuff in the unit itself. Before I received the device I watched a lot of videos about the Surface Duo mostly they were about the hardware since Microsoft had an embargo on the software side. The majority of the feedback was positive about the hardware. When I finally got to unbox it myself, the pictures and videos made it seem like a large device. The first thing that stands out is the thinness of the device. Even when it’s closed it still manages to be slightly thicker than my Galaxy Note 10+ device. Open it up and be prepared to be wow. It gets thinner but still feels solid in the hand without feeling that it is going to snap in half or bend. Bravo to Microsoft not only on trying to make the device as pocketable as it can be but also on the craftsmanship of the hinge mechanism. The resistance when folding the device back and forth it’s just perfect and smooth. Unlike other folding devices where you can only have it on an open or closed posture, the Surface Duo doesn’t have this limitation. You can have it on book mode, tent mode, or fold it all the way back for single-screen mode. It’s a 360-degree hinge there’s no limitation on what angle you want to stop. Build quality doesn’t just end with the hinge; what you have is a glass on glass design that is glued on strongly. The outside and inside are glass. There is a concern for drop reliability. At the end of the day, it’s glass and it happens to be your lucky day where it falls on the right angle it’s going to crack. Since there is no wireless charging I would have preferred if they made the outside out of magnesium instead like the Surface devices. There is no headphone jack, just your USB C charging port on the bottom right side of the second screen. When you open up the device you are greeted by two 5.6 Amoled panels with a resolution of 1800x1350 (4:3) aspect ratio that can be combined to an 8.1 (3:2) aspect ratio screen with a gap in the middle. These pairs of screens are top-notch quality and they are bright crisp with vivid colors. You do have the option to set it sRGB mode if you find the colors to be too saturated for your taste. I recommend setting the display size to small to take advantage of the extra real estate you get from the 4:3 format. The default setting to me felt like wasted space since apps are optimized for the narrow screen instead of the wider format. With the setting being small the apps are displayed as a tablet format instead if they support. As you can see on the screenshot I’ve included on my other phone the ESPN app will show either the news or scores not both like they do on the Surface Duo. It does make everything smaller, especially text but you can always increase the text size to help. Since Microsoft intended this to be a productivity device the 4:3 format is much more suited for this type of environment. It allows you to see a lot more information without having to scroll or zoom in/out constantly with emails, text messages or documents. There is only a single camera that can be used to take selfie pictures or rear pictures by flipping the device over. Camera quality is decent as long as you're not expecting Pixel 4 or iPhone 11 Pro-quality. You should be satisfied with the day time pictures it produces. Since there is no night mode night time shots take a huge hit. You also get slow-motion recording and up to 4k 60fps too. The hardware is not perfect though there are some slight gaps between the glass and frame that stick out. It’s almost like the device is too thin for its internals. Since it doesn’t flex I'm not worried about it coming undone since it’s glued down pretty good. It is a bummer when going from stereo speakers to a mono speaker but it gets the job done and plenty loud for calls and media consumption. For the most part, Microsoft did an excellent job with the hardware side. Software is where things start to fall apart. The main issues I’ve encountered so far are the gestures not working properly, the accelerometer sensor being finicky, and touchscreen lag. To go home all you do is a full swipe from the bottom or halfway to go to the overview screen the same as you would on an IOS device. There have been several times it would fail to do this. Just trying to exit an app or switching apps becomes a frustrating process. I’ve also noticed half of the time the white bar goes missing making it much more difficult to execute those gestures. Without that white bar, you can’t switch the app to the other screen or stretch it out to both screens. Some of the other bugs I’ve come across are related to the two screens. Sometimes one of the screens goes completely dark and is not responsive. The accelerometer sensor is finicky when switching from landscape to portrait orientation especially when you have it fully open. If you go from portrait mode to landscape mode to use it as a tent posture sometimes you will get a pause for the system to catch up. It would go from the home screen showing instead for a second or two until the app shows up. With a single camera flipping the device should make the camera switch screens so you can either take a selfie or a rear picture, When you try this sometimes the accelerometer sensor freaks out and you end up going back and forth between screens. One of the ways to fix this is to either lock it and unlock it or open the screens. If you’re trying to capture a spontaneous moment by the time you get the camera going that moment most likely will be gone. And lastly is the lag when it comes to the touchscreen which might explain why the gestures are not fluid. I have been using Swiftkey for a couple of years now but on the Surface Duo, it just doesn’t feel the same. It’s like sometimes the touch screen sensor doesn’t register my input. I’ve noticed this on apps with just scrolling or trying to click on stuff. I want to say besides software optimization it can also be Android 10 not natively supporting dual screens. The Snapdragon 855 is still a capable CPU so it’s not that for sure. I think just not for OS stability but future-proofing at least a minimum of 8gbs of ram should have been included but preferably 12gbs would have been the sweet spot. More on this later on why this is very important. The recent updates that have been released have made it much better but not enough yet to not notice them. For me, it wasn’t enough to the point that it kept me from using the phone from day to day. Since I haven’t had the phone locked up on me or anything like that would require me to reboot it constantly for now the issues are more of an inconvenience. Microsoft has said they planned to release monthly updates to address those issues. To me, the biggest difference-maker is how the Surface Duo handles two apps at the same time. Think of it like your dual display set up that you use for work. When you have a lot of data to manage to having dual displays makes this so much easier. Sure you can remedy this by getting a super widescreen monitor but you end up spending time having to adjust the applications side by side instead of just dragging it to the other display. Having dual screens is like each app gets its own island so that they can operate independently. With other folding devices, the foldout screen is still treated as a single screen. Even on my screenshot, you can see the apps side by side have that gap so it’s just the 2 screens stitched together. With this setup, you’re no longer limited by the app limitation. Some of the apps don’t support split-screen mode which is how Android handles two apps at the same time. So far I have not encountered any apps refusing to open side by side with another app. This has allowed me to have Outlook open along with Teams if I needed to reference something from an email without having to switch back and forth. Being able to have my text messages open to update contact information or save an address is so much easier when they’re open side by side. With that being said you can start to see why having more ram is important to keep things running smoothly and open in the background. Once you start to have a lot of things open you will probably end up seeing apps reloading. Imagine having a web page pulled up and going back sometime later to get that confirmation number and when you do is gone cause the browser tab had to reload. For a device meant to be the ultimate productivity on the go, the extra ram would have gone long ways to be beneficial. Ram is gold when it comes to multitasking and from keeping apps having to reload. It may not have the latest specs, the best camera, or be the best media consumption device. But in the end, you will appreciate it that it doesn’t when you’re able to get some work done. It’s tailor-made for that one purpose, which is to give you the freedom of doing more whether it is being productive or just being able to continue doing what you’re doing without stopping for example when you respond to a message. If it wasn’t for the lack of software optimization the Surface Duo could have made a bigger splash. I strongly believe with the release of Android 11 those bugs will be squashed for good. As long as you understand what you’re getting into with the Surface Duo I would say go for it. It comes down to you after reading if the Surface Duo still intrigues you.

After seeing some reviews online I didn't expect to like this phone. I actually went to best buy to buy a different phone. The Samsung fold 2 to replace my Samsung fold 1. However it wasn't in stock. So I was curious about this phone checked it out and fell in love. The hardware was so quality and I wasn't as afraid I was going to damage the phone in everyday usage like the fold. I gave it 4 stars for quality because the camera isnt great it just okay. Value with the new lower price is a still. Once I upgraded the software and used the windows launcher 0 software problems. It turns heads!!

Design: In the last few weeks there was a buzz of excitement for the new phone that Microsoft was releasing to take on the giants. When the prototypes came out, the intrigue grew. This phone is absolutely beautiful, a Monet in terms of phone design. For a first generation android product, Microsoft has hit it out of the park with its design. It has got a beautiful glass-on-glass design, with metal covering the outer frame. The beautiful glass body is not slippery (unlike other phones on the market) and actually is functional. It is more akin to a minimalist moleskine notebook than a phone when the phone is in its closed state. When the phone is opened, you are presented with not one, but two bright AMOLED screens that face each other. One of the screens houses the only camera the phone has, while the other has a speaker. The minimalist design has buttons on the right edge of the right screen, which includes an on/off, volume rocker and the fingerprint sensor. I must note that this was made for right handed people, left handed people would have to get used to having the unlock sensor or the keypad to sign in on their right hand. Microsoft spent some of the phone’s design budget on the hinge, as it's a perfection, able to stop in any angle between. It's stiff and yet functional. However, being the design of the phone being so large, and the stiff hinge, it takes two hands to open the phone. This really does pose a problem for someone who wants to take a quick peek into the screen to see notifications. Software: Upon turning on the phone, I proceeded with signing on to my google account. I noted that the phone also requested that I sign on to my Microsoft account. My initial set up was purely on the android experience, which in the true android fashion went rather familiar and well. The device requested for an update, which I allowed before proceeding. Later on, I signed into my personal Microsoft account to see what kind of features Microsoft offered. This soon felt a bit hamstrung as the experience with the free live accounts aren't that great. I then proceeded to do something my work IT had cautioned me about; and ignoring their advice, connected my phone to my work Microsoft Office account, so I could get the full Microsoft experience. This was worth doing so as this device has been made to work very well with the office environment. From the native Microsoft apps (teams, office, outlook, etc), the integration is perfect. Almost felt at home. This is clearly a Microsoft leaning android productivity phone. That said the software has some quirks that need work. I feel the product is let down by the software experience. Applications are not aware of the dual screen, generally don't seem to respond very well to the changes in orientation. Specifically, when one folds the screen to allow for a single screen experience. This will be solved in time I hope. Usability: The phone’s unusual design has one huge glaring fact that is missing in its usability. Ultimately, one has to either open the phone to find the notifications, or keep the screen folded open, to be able to see them. In the latter case, the phone seems to forget which side is the primary screen (the one with the camera) and will not unlock with your fingerprint sensor. I am right leaning - ambidextrous person, but a lot of left handed people may not like the fact that the fingerprint sensor is on the right, as well as the lock screen codes are on the right screen when opened. This needs an adjustment - at least for the lock screen pin code to be entered. Overall software experience does cause a bit of a hassle. While the “Tips” app does provide ample training to use the various features of the phone, the responsive delay from the phone is maddening. I eventually turned on the gesture controls that provided the standard android soft keys on screen to manipulate the minimize and task / window switching. Talking about switching between applications. On a dual screen book reading mode, the task doesn't necessarily expand to the second screen automatically, and sometimes will require you to manually move it over. However once setup, it actually works the way it should. I enjoyed the ability to launch my outlook email & calendar in one click, and it shows the power of the dual screen productivity machine that this phone could be. Productivity “Do it for the Gram”, as they say it… well this isn't a phone that you’d use for posting pictures on the interweb. Its single front facing 11 megapixel camera is barely adequate in its photo abilities. The photos taken are kind of washed out and frankly not that stunning without additional post processing. The dual screen nature of the phone requires you to flip the phone around to take a picture. The responsiveness of the camera mode is laffable, but it is probably fixable in the next software update. That said, the camera is adequate for the business purpose of using it for Microsoft Teams or Zoom. I was able to use it very comfortably for my office teams meetings while working on my emails on the second screen. This phone is built for productivity, and if you are on the Microsoft ecosystem, this is the phone to have. I have my onedrive documents, my office applications, email, calendar all in one place. I used to use these applications on my other phone, but with two screens this makes life a lot easier, despite the software glitches. The CPU processing power on this phone, while may not be the latest and greatest, it is adequate to run all applications, and it does not hurt that it has 6gb of ram to help manage your applications. As for gaming, it actually works well for that, though you should only use one screen at a time. I was able to comfortably play Call of Duty, Mario Kart, NFS No Limits and Roblox with no problems. This isn't designed as a gaming machine but it can definitely be used to game, especially since its screen size is considerably broad, it gives plenty of room for your fingers to control on-screen controls. The phone by default comes with Solitaire installed, which I found very entertaining to play on the go or while on a conference call. Nuances The biggest nuance and flaw is that this is a huge phone. Understanding that it may not fit in your pocket, and as a moleskine style phone, the device is much larger than your conventional candybar style phones. Other dual-screen phones on the market have an external screen for notifications, this phone does not have that, requiring you to open the screen to use it. The phone does not fit in my car-phone holder, and does not fit in my cup holder that easily. Using it while driving is an absolute no-no, as you will need to open both screens to get into it (unless you keep the screens facing outwards). The voice commands don't seem to work well to use voice commands while driving, I could never get it to activate like my other phones. Specs: The phone features dual 5.6” screens that equate to 8.1” when fully opened, with a resolution of 2700x1800 (1350x1800 for single screen). It's a high resolution gorilla glass screen that is absolutely bright. The phone supports USB-C charging, and in my testing provided for a good 10 hours of use before requiring recharge. The box comes with a 18W power supply but any USB-C charger should work. The phone does not support 5G, but LTE is plenty fast for work requirements. It does support Bluetooth 5, but does not support Wifi 6 (802.11ax), so the fastest you can get from wifi-ac. The processor, which is not one of the latest and greatest, is plenty in terms of power. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with 6gb of ram. It is plenty to do productive work with the Microsoft apps pre-installed. The device supports the Microsoft Surface Pen, but I did not have one to test. Closing Thoughts For a first generation device from Microsoft, this is a very good phone. Sure, there are nuances and glitches that will drive you batty, and most of them are software related. The few hardware omissions like that missing front notifications screen, lack of a front facing camera, and a fingerprint sensor for left handed people can be fixed in the next generation. I think Microsoft has a hit on its hands when it comes to a phone that works well in the google ecosystem and their own Microsoft system. This is a productivity machine, not having to use a laptop to do certain things makes things so much easier. The onus of this device is primarily a business phone (kind of what Blackberry’s used to mean back in the day). This may not be the go-to phone for you as a casual phone user, but as a phone for a business, this is definitely the one to have. Pros: * Beautiful design + clear dual screen phone * Plenty of processing power for productivity - designed for the Microsoft office experience * Very thin by design, but large by size. It's not that easy to carry, the bumper added protection but also adds to the size. * Long battery life - didn't have any battery issues Cons: * Software is not yet polished. Needs updates, and over time will be fantastic. There are glitches with responsiveness of buttons, touch response. The orientation sensor sometimes gets confused on which screen is on top requiring you to do a few more taps to switch the screen over. * Single camera, that is lackluster in quality * Voice commands don't seem to work for me, this needs to be leveraged more especially since there is no notification screen up front. * Non-replaceable battery, and most likely not an easy phone to fix due to all glass design. Disclaimer: “Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.This review is unbiased and true to form.”

I would say in it's current state this device is not ready for the average consumer. but great for those that are willing to take the time to work through new ways of doing things working with the device and not against it. The hardware is amazing nothing on the market is even close to the razer thin construction. it feels like no corners were cut in the design to save a dollar. the screens are bright and responsive, the battery last all day and the pocket fit is perfect. Thanks to how thin the device is I have taken to putting it in my front shirt pocket when using speaker phone. I hope as users offer feedback Microsoft will begin to craft updates to make the device more friendly to the average user. little things like always showing the "double tap to enable screen" when a screen is shut off would go a long way. the gyroscope doesn't always get it right so let the user intervene. It's a great device that I believe with updates and future generations will get even better. keep up the good work MS and thank you for taking the risk and creating something so different.

I liked very much, even though software needs to be fixed ...

This device is amazing! I love being able to use to two applications at the same time. It’s a great device and way more than a phone

I would say it’s more like a tablet than a phone. I think that’s how it was intended. Not easy to use if your an old iPhone user like myself.

First off, this phone is a first-gen device and has many of the usual first-gen and postponed device quirks. If I would have written this review yesterday, I probably would have rated this a 3, but the quick improvements to the software quickly brought it to a solid 5 stars! Using this device will impress you! The screens are gorgeous, the hinge is flexible and durable, the build quality just screams elegance! This device is built to impress, you and others around you who will be immediately compelled to ask you, “what is that?” Followed by a jaw drop and numerous comments about how thin, light, and impressive the Surface Duo looks. Now, you’ll also have to answer a difficult question for yourself, is this a phone? A tablet? No, it is a Surface. It is both of those things, but very focused on productivity and meticulous design. I am on day two of using this phone, having retired my Galaxy Note 10+, I see a bright future for the Surface Duo. In only two days, the UI has shaken most of the bugs out, many of the common apps I use have been optimized to at least have a good experience through the various screen configurations, and I can receive text messages! That last one was a quirk with Verizon and having to contact support to ask them to activate the “CDMA-less” feature on the SIM card, everything else worked seconds after the initial setup was completed. Speaking of setup, you will be immediately shown, and likely impressed by, how useful having two distinct screens truly is! Both screens are not a necessity for everything, but for certain tasks (like retrieving verification codes from an email), it is a huge convenience to be able to pull up you email instead of leaving the app to open it. For productivity, the dual screens allow you to have a more passive task on one screen while completing a more interactive task on the other screen. This is incredibly useful for Teams meetings and looking something up/taking notes, watching a cooking video and having the recipe available on the bottom screen, or any number of tasks that you’ll find yourself using both screens for. Being able to open a book as a book, or a news app as a full page are also extremely intuitive. Not all apps are optimized for this setup, one that I am having issues with is Apple Music (included with my Verizon Unlimited). The app doesn’t seem to recognize the screen being shorter than it is expecting for how wide it is and I am unable to use the playback controls in the app. Overall, my experience with this device has gone from initially frustrating (not being able to receive texts for most of day 1) to absolutely in love with it! Pros: -HUGE, beautify screens -Quick and snappy real-life performance -Good battery life, it will get you through a whole day between charging abilities -Fits nicely in larger hands and able to use one handed (folded) -Works excellently with my Samsung Galaxy Watch! -Amazing integration with the “Your Phone” app on Windows -Great for mobile games! Cons: -Camera, In very bright, well-lit rooms, it is okay to good but never great. Low-light shots, use the flash and hope for good post-processing but still useable. This is a huge area for improvement -No wireless charging -No NFC -Smartwatch is almost required unless you want to constantly lift the screen to “peek” at your notifications In conclusion, this is an incredibly well-built device that is definitely deserving of the Surface branding, but it is not for everyone. The Surface Duo is aimed at the power user. Consumption and leisure apps will still work well, but this device is much happier when you have a Teams call and an Excel file running than trying to find the best way to take in your friend’s Snapchat stories. I would still highly recommend it to anyone who finds themselves intrigued and drawn to the Surface Duo and feels they will benefit from the multitasking and/or gaming performance (professionals, students, serious multitaskers), but I am probably not going to recommend this someone just looking for calls, texts, Snapchat, and making TikTok videos.

Microsoft Surface Duo 256GB (Unlocked) - Glacier An Exciting Melding of Mobile and Workspace This Microsoft Surface Duo is an exciting and bold new concept. It offers a sleek mobile device that unfolds to provide a much larger workspace than a traditional phone. This extra screen real estate allows you to get some serious computing work done without having to break out your laptop or hold off doing it until you get to your office or home computer. And, since nearly everyone has their mobile device with them all the time, this can be a huge advantage. Bottom line: Microsoft has created a new category with this device. It’s so much more than a phone: it’s a mobile productivity device. It comes with 6GB of RAM and is available with either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The exterior is Corning Gorilla Glass. There’s an Adaptive 11 MP camera, optimized with Artificial Intelligence (AI) for both front and rear shots. And it includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Security measures include a fingerprint reader and Microsoft Authenticator. It supports the various Surface pens (none are included), but they do not magnetically attach to the Duo. The two ultra-thin, high-resolution touchscreens unfold to provide users with a much-needed larger workspace. If you’re like me, in addition to using it as a mobile device, you’re constantly trying to use your current phone to do more and more of the computing tasks that we need to do in our everyday business and personal lives. However, the smaller traditional phone screen makes that hard to do. Now the Surface Duo offers a much-needed solution to that problem. The Duo uses the Android operating system (Android 10 with Microsoft Surface Duo UI). To help you be more productive immediately, the Duo ships with nearly all the most popular Microsoft programs and Android apps pre-installed. And you’ll also have access to all of the Android apps in the Google Play store. Because storage space is not expandable on the Duo, users will probably want to uninstall any of the preinstalled apps that they don’t plan to use. That will free up space for other apps that they do want to use and would like to add. With the Surface Duo, you can view two apps at the same time (one on each screen) or display one app across both screens. And you can drag and drop between screens. That’s a really nice feature, since it means you’ll be doing less switching back and forth between two apps that you’re working on at the same time. Missing features: *There’s no 5G (will probably be added in the next version). *It doesn’t support wireless charging. *There’s no slot for additional storage, so you may want to consider spending the extra $100 to get the 256Gb model for the greatest flexibility. (Of course, you can always use the installed Google Drive or OneDrive cloud storage to store and access your working files.) *There’s very limited printed documentation, so you may feel a bit lost at first. (Be sure to locate and check out the included Tips and Support software options in “Settings” to help get you up and running.) Concerns: *It’s expensive. *The battery has a limited number of charging cycles and it can’t be replaced. Since we don’t have any way of knowing at the time of purchase just how long it will be before it won’t accept another charge, that’s a major concern. * The lone camera might not take the same high-quality pictures you’ve come to expect from an expensive mobile device. *While the hardware is a work of art, some of the software is still a work in progress and not quite ready for prime time. At times, the gremlins seemed to take over and the Duo screen would simply start flashing, like lightening in a storm. It appears that some apps just aren’t ready to play nice on the Duo. *There’s only one speaker, so don’t expect a music hall listening experience without using earbuds or a headset. Bottom Line: It’s an exciting concept that offers the promise of a leap forward in mobile productivity. Because of that, some users may be willing to overlook the missing features and concerns in the current model in the hopes of realizing those potential gains immediately. Still others might choose to wait for the next generation, which would be my recommendation. While I would expect to see many of my concerns addressed in the next version, there are no guarantees. In the meantime, we can only hope that either Microsoft or a third-party vendor will come up with a way to replace the battery. If/when that happens, then this Surface Duo could certainly be a real game changer. *Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.

DISCLAIMER: I received the Surface Duo through the Tech Insider Network or “TIN”. Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews. The Surface Duo is a unique device that defies current categories. It doesn’t quite feel like a phone but also doesn’t quite feel like a tablet. Ironically, the term phablet probably applies to the Duo more than any other previous phone. It really does feel like a new type of phone/tablet hybrid. The Surface Duo might just make the term phablet trendy again. The design is an eye catcher and I’ve already received several compliments. The glass shell and highly polished spine and hinges give it a sleek sophisticated appearance. When this device is pulled from my pocket, it always attracts attention. The dual screens are vivid, sharp, bright and colorful. Touch input is responsive and accurate. The screens can function together as one or independently. Most times it feels like using two PC screens although it can be a bit clumsy at times. Apps can be opened on separate screens or both screens in a variety of ways. These include using separate screens for different apps, using both screens for one app (i.e. inbox on one screen and individual messages on the other), using both screens for one app in full screen mode, using the screens in tent mode for streaming or presentations and using both screens where one is the keyboard and the other showing the app. Screens can also be used horizontally or vertically. Lastly, the screens can be used in extended desktop mode. For anyone who uses multiple monitors, it will feel instantly familiar. The clamshell design protects the screens when not in use. The Duo’s Android operating system is smooth and fluid to use. There is no noticeable lag during use and apps feel snappy and responsive most times. There are some drawbacks that I’ll address in a bit. The fact that this is a Microsoft device using the Android operating system creates a strange dichotomy. On one hand, it feels like a traditional Android device but on the other it feels like a traditional Microsoft device. I was required to enter accounts for both Google and Microsoft to complete setup. Gmail automatically setup my associated Gmail account and Outlook automatically setup my Outlook account. The phone also comes bundled with both Google and Microsoft apps. I feel forced to choose whether I want it to primarily be a Microsoft or Google ecosystem. I originally wanted to use this phone with my Microsoft business account because I feel this device is far more likely to be embraced by business users than home users. However, every time I tried entering my business Office 365 E3 account credentials, I kept getting an error saying the password was incorrect. After a couple dozen failed login attempts on the Surface Duo, I logged into OWA for the same account on two other personal devices just to verify my password was correct and the account was functioning properly. Once I verified my account wasn’t the issue, I tried again a few more times before finally throwing in the towel and setting up the duo with my personal Microsoft account. My personal account logged in immediately with no issues. I then added my business account as a secondary account with no problem. I’m not sure why my business account did not work for the initial account setup but I am 100% absolutely certain it wasn’t due to a bad password as indicated. One thing I found odd was that a “too many failed login attempts” error appeared along with a captcha after the very first login attempt with my business account. This all makes me believe my business account was blocked from the start. I don’t know if this is a glitch or by design but I suggest business users research the Duo’s features and versions very carefully before taking the plunge. The Duo physically feels odd and awkward as a handheld phone. The biggest problem is partly due to the design. When I have the screens folded back to use as a handheld phone, my fingers constantly hit the buttons or fingerprint sensor on the side. It’s much easier to use paired through a more user friendly Bluetooth interface like earbuds, an earpiece or a vehicular Bluetooth system. Voice quality was okay both ways but I found myself preferring the speakerphone over holding the phone against the ear. The phone feels like a secondary feature compared to the tablet aspect of the device. Battery life is better than expected for a dual-screen device and rivals that of my single screen phones. I typically get at least two days of moderate use per charge. The Duo ships with a USB-C charging cable and charger. I was a little bummed that there os no external charging indicator but charging status can be quickly viewed by opening the device. The buttons all work well and are intuitively placed, aside from handheld phone usage. The fingerprint reader works reliably and is very easy to use. Although the Duo only has one camera, it’s sharp and takes nice photos. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the industry leading smartphone cameras but it’s more than sufficient for business or productivity use. It’s perfect for Teams meetings or other videoconferencing uses. The Duo is a very attractive and capable phone but it does suffer some first gen drawbacks. I’ve already mentioned the lackluster phone experience. Closing and moving apps occasionally feels awkward at times. This is most noticeable when apps are split between both screens. The direction to close the app remains the same despite screen orientation. This means swiping up to close apps in landscape mode means swiping right to left to close apps in portrait mode. Using a single app across both screens is good for certain apps but not as good for others. The center gap can occasionally obstruct data on the middle of the screen. Aside from the above minor cons, Microsoft did a really good job with the Surface Duo. It feels more suitable for those who use their phones for business or productivity but also feels suitable for those who use smartphones primarily for web and social media in addition to communications. It’s also good for those with accessibility needs like diminished vision. The split screen keyboard is much larger than that of even the largest mainstream smart phone. The dual screens also allow access to accessibility settings while viewing apps or content on the other screen. The Duo successfully captures the feel of a hybrid surface and smartphone device.

Great product. Worth every cent. Can't go back to a normal mobile now. This will take all the previous Blackberry market.

Disclaimer: I received this product free from Best Buy as part of their Tech Insider Network program. Reviewers in this invitation-only program (Tech Insider Network Program) are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews. All opinions and experiences in the following review are totally and completely my own. First off, this phone is a first-gen device and has many of the usual first-gen and postponed device quirks. If I would have written this review yesterday, I probably would have rated this a 3, but the quick improvements to the software quickly brought it to a solid 5 stars! Using this device will impress you! The screens are gorgeous, the hinge is flexible and durable, the build quality just screams elegance! This device is built to impress, you and others around you who will be immediately compelled to ask you, “what is that?” Followed by a jaw drop and numerous comments about how thin, light, and impressive the Surface Duo looks. Now, you’ll also have to answer a difficult question for yourself, is this a phone? A tablet? No, it is a Surface. It is both of those things, but very focused on productivity and meticulous design. I am on day seven of using this phone, having retired my Galaxy Note 10+, I see a bright future for the Surface Duo. In only one week, the UI has shaken most of the bugs out, many of the common apps I use have been optimized to at least have a good experience through the various screen configurations, and I can receive text messages! That last one was a quirk with Verizon and having to contact support to ask them to activate the “CDMA-less” feature on the SIM card, everything else worked seconds after the initial setup was completed. Speaking of setup, you will be immediately shown, and likely impressed by, how useful having two distinct screens truly is! Both screens are not a necessity for everything, but for certain tasks (like retrieving verification codes from an email), it is a huge convenience to be able to pull up you email instead of leaving the app to open it. For productivity, the dual screens allow you to have a more passive task on one screen while completing a more interactive task on the other screen. This is incredibly useful for Teams meetings and looking something up/taking notes, watching a cooking video and having the recipe available on the bottom screen, or any number of tasks that you’ll find yourself using both screens for. Being able to open a book as a book, or a news app as a full page are also extremely intuitive. Not all apps are optimized for this setup, one that I am having issues with is Apple Music (included with my Verizon Unlimited). The app doesn’t seem to recognize the screen being shorter than it is expecting for how wide it is and I am unable to use the playback controls in the app. Overall, my experience with this device has gone from initially frustrating (not being able to receive texts for most of day 1) to absolutely in love with it! Pros: -HUGE, beautify screens -Quick and snappy real-life performance -Good battery life, it will get you through a whole day between charging abilities -Fits nicely in larger hands and able to use one handed (folded) -Works excellently with my Samsung Galaxy Watch! -Amazing integration with the “Your Phone” app on Windows -Great for mobile games! Cons: -Camera, in very bright, well-lit rooms, it is okay to good but never great. Low-light shots, use the flash and hope for good post-processing but still useable. This is a huge area for improvement -No wireless charging -No NFC (touchless payment available via paired smartwatch) -Smartwatch is almost required unless you want to constantly lift the screen to “peek” at your notifications In conclusion, this is an incredibly well-built device that is definitely deserving of the Surface branding, but it is not for everyone. The Surface Duo is aimed at the power user. Consumption and leisure apps will still work well, but this device is much happier when you have a Teams call and an Excel file running than trying to find the best way to take in your friend’s Snapchat stories. I would still highly recommend it to anyone who finds themselves intrigued and drawn to the Surface Duo and feels they will benefit from the multitasking and/or gaming performance (professionals, students, serious multitaskers), but I am probably not going to recommend this someone just looking for calls, texts, Snapchat, and making TikTok videos.

The last few days I have had the opportunity to try out a product which reminisces the old and adds the new, and it is also a completely new product that evolves as my interaction and discovery with it takes place. As a reviewer in the invitation-only Best Buy Tech Insider Network, I was given this opportunity to try this product in exchange for my honest, unbiased review of the product. I did not make a purchase, but instead received the product from Best Buy. The following is my honest opinion of the 256 GB unlocked Microsoft Surface Duo and it is based on my personal present and past experiences. Graphically packaged well in a sturdy well-constructed box, is the Microsoft Surface Duo, an 18-watt USB-C fast charger, a sim pin tool, and a protective bumper; and all are neatly secured in the box. This initial presentation of the product told me that a lot of thought and research had gone into its development. My first glance at the product resulted in dual thoughts of 1) what a beautiful industrial design this is, which was closely followed by 2) I don’t think I will ever use this device on a regular basis because of its size. Why does size matter? It matters because I don’t always have pockets in my clothing, somethings are just uncomfortable to hold, I often already have my phones and tablet opened simultaneously so that I can see what I am doing and this initially didn’t appear to be large enough to match that, and I guess the main reason was that it just isn’t like the phones (or even operating platform) that I have become accustomed to. The hardware of the Microsoft Surface Duo is a beautiful design. All glass, thin, a hinge the designers did not even try to hide, but instead accentuated and made 360 degrees functional. It opens like a small book and has most of the manual functions on the back leave on the upper right side. I even found a fingerprint lock ergonomically placed in a perfect spot that has told me once that it is dirty but has not failed me yet. The hardware weighs just a little more than half a pound and measures 4.8mm thick unfolded and just 9.9mm folded. The product has dual 5.6-inch 1800x1350 AMOLED screens that are made of Corning® Gorilla® Glass and the whole unit is very thin and light. Setting up the system was a nice experience too. The Surface Duo immediately told me that I needed to upgrade the software, and doing so allowed me to miss any bugs, glitches, etc. that others may have experienced. As I started looking at the pre-loaded apps and loading others as they were suggested to me, the process began to take on my personal flavor and I could see it developing into a very useful productivity tool. Let’s face it! Even if you like other operating systems for their simplicity and graphics, Microsoft has been, and is, the software that powers the office. And even if you carry iPhones and iPad, tablets, Smart Phones or even a flip phone, you probably have a lot of your work on a desktop or laptop, or both. that are powered by Windows 10 or a previous version. The Microsoft Surface Duo has the capability to bring together much of your technology world on one handheld device that is also suitable for global travel and believe it or not, the print on the dual screens which open to be about the size of an iPad mini, is plenty large enough to see what you are doing, and a big plus that aids in making this possible is the dual screens. The Surface Duo is fast enough with 6GB DRAM operating on a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855 Mobile Platform. I had no glitches or hang-up at all. I read that the Snapdragon has been optimized for the dual-screen experience and reading this made me think, “Well this is going to drain the battery”. Wrong! The dual 3577mAh battery went all day with over 8 hours of heavy use and a couple more hours with audio blue toothed to a sound box. At one point I loaded my TV provider’s app onto the device and watched the evening network news. Still the battery had close to 20% left. The battery is rated for 15.5 of video playback. This is impressive! I carry two phones and every day the work phone is ready to be charged again before noon, again before 6 pm, etc. The lone camera can capture shots, but it is a little lonely with its one 11-megapixel camera (f/2.0). The camera sits above the right display next to a flash and appears to be a selfie cam or ready for your next ZOOM meeting. It took me a few minutes to figure out that if I opened the sides the full 360 degrees, that I could then use the device as a regular smartphone camera. I know that I probably have some adjustments that I have yet to master, but I still think I will be taking my 35mm on my next trip. This camera just is not there yet for great shots. The Surface Duo has all the Google apps and all of the Microsoft Office apps. It can sync with your computer, almost seamlessly if you are using Windows 10, and it can also sync with some of your iOS information if you choose for it to do so. As I worked through the process of using the Surface Duo, I first reconciled that it wasn’t that wide, it was much like the size of my Blackberry which was the first real productive handheld technological tool that I used in my career. Prior to that my office made me carry a pager and an early cell. The Blackberry had an important part of the development of the smart phone. Also, I noticed that the way that the Surface Duo appeared to work with me reminded me of my Palm Pilot, and later the Palm Trio phone which were both great technological platforms for office efficiency. Some of you reading this may have never heard of any of these predecessors, but they were all three significant in the development of the smart phone. The Microsoft Surface Duo seems to have much of the same ingenuity that was in these earlier products that over time were all absorbed by larger companies and altered by metamorphosis into something completely different. As a phone, I understand that the unlocked version can be used globally which makes it very attractive from that standpoint alone, but then consider all the other things the Surface Duo can do. It is not a 5G phone, but I really do not personally think that is a deal breaker as it will be a little while before 5G is even the standard in all US areas. I have been a Sprint Customer for over 20 years and the phone does not work on the Sprint network. I tried my Sprint sim card from an unlocked phone, and it does not work. I went to T-Mobile and purchased a short-term prepaid sim card for this review. The phone works fine. It also works on Verizon and ATT. ATT also has a locked version of this product. Would I recommend this product? At $1400 and $1500 dollars if you are a businessperson wanting to simplify your technological world – YES! Does it bother me that there is no notification on the outside of the product? NO. I wear a smart watch tied to my business phone number and maybe I should take it off more often too. Constant notifications of everything in the world is probably not helping my life longevity goal. I like the fact that Google and Microsoft have come together to create this Microsoft Android device. They are their own platforms and I am sure they will develop many more apps that work seamlessly going forward. It is not a Google but a Microsoft product with total access to all Google apps and all of Office 365. Maybe it should be called Microtoroid or Microdroid because it is somewhat a new type of device. It does need some fine tuning, but every time I pick it up, I discover something else that ties to either 1) something I am working on, or 2) appears it may simplify my life. It works with the Surface Pen and I wish it had a way to store the pen on, or with, it. It can be set to have an enhanced keyboard and that is very useful for using it like a small laptop. I set the morning alarm and it woke me with a gentle tone and then began giving me the weather, the news brief, etc. This is perfect for me because the first thing that I do in the morning is take the dogs out and it is nice to know if it is raining. The phone is going to take a little time to organize and to tailor to my personal work. I like that the device lets me move the tiles to exact locations without shuffling the whole page of apps. At first, I did not care for the “bumpers”, but they appear to be made out of a very sturdy, durable material and are shipped with the product ready to be adhered to the edges for protection. The Microsoft Surface Duo is just so pretty without the bumpers that I have not wanted to add them yet. When I started this review there was not any idea to replace my work phone with this device, but after the past four days I have almost decided to do just that. If I make this my primary business phone, I believe that I can be much more efficient at what I do. I do recommend that you study it and take a look at it to familiarize yourself with something that is designed as a new angle on phone/computing technology other than the norm of the present day consumer options on the market. It is a good product and has a lot of potential.