Microsoft’s $1,399 USD Dual-Screen Surface Duo Arrives in September
Pre-orders in the U.S. begin today.
Microsoft announced its launching the Surface Duo dual-screen Android phone on September 10 starting at $1,399 USD. Although the design of the device was revealed late last year, the specs have officially been detailed. The Surface Duo contains a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. However, the handheld has no 5G support. Microsoft promises “all-day battery life” with its dual batteries split between both displays. As such, the 3577mAh battery offers 15.5 hours of local video playback, up to 10 days of standby time, and up to 27 hours of talk time.
The device sports two individual 5.6-inch (1800 x 1350) OLED displays with a 4:3 aspect ratio that expands to 8.1-inches (2700 x 1800) when used in tandem. Each screen has a 4:3 aspect ratio but when connect extends to 3:2. The Surface Duo uses a single 11-megapixel f/2.0 camera that supports 4K video and 60 frames per second. It possesses a “superzoom” up to 7x and the ability to capture multi-frame pictures in HDR.
All Android apps will run on the device without any modifications due to the device’s separate displays. However, developers can also optimize the layout of their apps to utilize both displays in a variety of ways. Microsoft’s own Office Suite and OneDrive apps have been modified to span both displays. Microsoft is also utilizing an algorithm within the device on how to properly open some apps. Apps like Microsoft Teams and PowerPoint, for example, have been customized to utilize a screen for a video call and the other for the Team apps chat or even look at a full slide and the rest of the deck at the same time.
After months of teasing, Microsoft’s Surface Duo is available for pre-order starting today in the U.S. at AT&T, Best Buy, and Microsoft’s website.
In other tech news, Apple recently delayed the release of its upcoming iPhone.