Microsoft Surface Duo 2 Review, Pros, and Cons – While Samsung is launching its foldable phones, Microsoft is focusing on launching its Android-based folding phone. It looks like a book, Microsoft Surface Duo 2 will be released on October 21, 2021. Coming after its predecessor, this device is much more improved than before. The brand also confirmed three years of updates. Although the phone has so many features, it can lose its charm in the battery section. According to their website, it will be available globally at a high budget price.
The phone will ship with 5G capability. Besides, it offers a good display, as usual, the best internal features, satisfactory cameras, and also you will perform the screen operation through the slim pen. Whether you should buy Surface Duo 2 or Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, you can decide after reading this review. You’ll enjoy a different experience with the innovative Surface Duo 2. Let’s start with a detailed review of the Microsoft surface Duo 2 smartphone.
Table of Contents
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 Review
Highlights
- It comes with two monitors that measure an AMOLED screen 8.3 inches diagonally.
- With the help of the Android 11 operating system, your phone looks worthy of the next generation.
- You can be 100% sure about the performance provided by the 5nm architecture Snapdragon 888 chipset.
- You will have a flagship-level triple camera with a 12 MP primary sensor.
- As for the battery, there is an oddly fashioned Li-Po 4449mAh battery with a 23W fast charger.
Design and Display
As for the overall layout, this folding phone offers the incredible feel same as the first-generation model. With its spectacular design, Surface Duo 2 makes you realize that you’re using a digital book instead of a pocketbook. Coming with the Glacier and Obsidian color variants, the brand strived to make the phone comfortable to use.
A slightly different approach to the Z FOLD 3, Surface Duo 2 features a bar between two screens that connect with a small anchor at the top and bottom. There is a triple camera on the rear panel, while the fingerprint sensor is attached to the right sidebar.
If you look at the display section, then you’ll notice a lot of top-notch quality features. The screen is much larger diagonally with a size of 8.3 inches, while if you close the other part of the screen, it will measure 5.8-inches. The screen is powered by an AMOLED display which is spectacular when playing games or watching videos.
Following that, the HDR-certified display renders dynamic ranges of colors. It also ensures that there is no compromise on the natural color rendering. The presence of a 90 Hz refresh rate drastically improves the visual quality of the phone. Most importantly, the screen displays a resolution of 1892p, and the 800-nits brightness rating takes the phone to a better level.
Alongside this, it comes with a pen holder. With that said, you will have a Surface Slim Pen 2 that can give you a different experience than using a smartphone. Besides that, you are getting the industry-leading Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on this phone. Unfortunately, there is no info regarding the dust/water resistance feature. On the other hand, This device allows you to run e-SIM or Nano-SIM. Weighing 284g, it is 11mm thick when folded.
Memory and Internal
For such a high price, it becomes apparent that the company needs to add some robust hardware with the latest operating system. No matter what you get the best out of it. With the backbone of the Android 11 operating system, the smooth performance will let you perform any task with ease. There is no mention of the custom interface, but the company guarantees that users will have unlimited possibilities. You are free from bloatware issues or delays.
As you know, there is a 5 nm Snapdragon 888 chipset that offers the most reliable performance for gaming or watching videos. On the other hand, Microsoft Surface Duo 2 combined with the Adreno 660 graphics unit, and enjoy the immersive visual experience by that setup. The Octa-core processor reaches up to 2.84 GHz maximum. Overall, this 5G device acquires everything you need to compete with market demands.
Suitable for different needs of users, one can choose the basic variant, which is 8GB RAM with 128GB space. Or there are two higher variants, which offer the same RAM with 256GB and 512GB storage. RAM is fixed, which can sometimes be a headache if you download too many apps. But at the same time, it will fulfill your daily requirements, though choose the storage variant carefully as there’s no secondary storage unit.
Camera
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 gives its competitor tough competition, especially the Galaxy Z FOLD 3. It comes with an attractive triple camera, where you will have a 12 MP primary shooter camera with dual pixel autofocus mode. In addition, secondary cameras, such as a 12 MP telephoto lens, come with an autofocus mode and an ultra-wide 16 MP sensor.
You will find OIS on the primary lens along with the telephoto lens as well. Whether you’re an experimental geek, this camera combination might be a smart choice for you. There is a 3D depth sensor on the rear panel as well. Due to this specification, you will find clarity in your photos as well as in videos. Besides that, the night mode photos present decent clarity.
On the other hand, you will find a big difference in the selfie camera. It equips with a 12 MP selfie camera, while the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a 10 MP camera in contrast. In the selfie department, the phone falls behind the Z Fold 3, but it does provide a dynamic range of photographs. You can record a maximum of 4k videos with the gyro-EIS, while the selfie camera only offers 1080p videos.
Battery and Others
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 brings the Li-Po 4449 mAh battery that delivers satisfying performance. As the internal resources are pretty strong, you can lose energy frequently. While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 offers several features in the battery section, the Surface Duo 2 comes with just a 23W fast charger.
It would be better if the brand took better care of the battery section. Hopefully, the battery capacity is greater than the Z fold 3. Moreover, you can purchase this product for $1500 (Rs 1,10,000) approx, which is quite common in the flagship level market. Overall, the specs and features are aligned precisely and give impressive support to the users.
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 smartphone.
| Specifications | Microsoft Surface Duo 2 |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | September 2021 |
| SIM | Nano-SIM/eSIM |
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 184.5 x 145.2 x 5.5 mm Folded: 145.2 x 92.1 x 11 mm |
| Weight | 284 g |
| Size | Unfolded position display: 8.3 inches Folded position display: 5.8 inches |
| Display | Unfolded AMOLED 90Hz HDR 800 nits brightness ~401 PPI density Folded AMOLED |
| Protection | Stylus support Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | Unfolded: 1892 x 2688 pixels Folded: 1344 x 1892 pixels |
| OS | Android 11 |
| Chipset | 5 nm – Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G |
| CPU | Octa-core 1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680 |
| GPU | Adreno 660 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Internal | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB UFS |
| Camera | 12 MP (wide), dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 16 MP (ultrawide) TOF 3D (depth) Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama, gyro-EIS Max – 4K@30/60fps |
| Selfie | 12 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX Adaptive |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, dual accelerometer, dual gyro, dual proximity, dual compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 4449 mA Fast charging 23W |
| Colors | Glacier, Obsidian |
| Expected Price | $1500 (Rs 1,10,000) approx. |
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 Pros and Cons
Down below you can see the list of pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 smartphone.
Pros
- Fabulous Hinge design pattern.
- Gorilla glass Vicus protection.
- Stylus pen support.
- AMOLED screen with 90Hz refresh rate.
- Huge battery life with fast charging support.
- Play games at the max settings.
- cutting-edge performance for multitasking.
- 4K video resolution and gyro-EIS support.
- Suitable camera performance with 2x zoom camera
- Folded AMOLED display.
- NFC and 5G connectivity support
Cons
- Without wireless charging support.
- Lacks secondary storage option.
- Slightly thick design layout.
- Average selfie camera.
- Little heavy phone.
- Without Custom UI support.
- Support only 90Hz refresh rate.
- Not suitable for handling with one hand.
- Very expensive compared to specifications.
Conclusion
The features are pretty much the same as the current-gen foldable phone. But what makes the phone stand would be the software optimization. Unlike the Surface Duo, the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 would have better optimization, while the aesthetic hinge design makes the phone stand out from the competition. But at the same time, it divides the screen into two partitions.
Anyway, if you are looking for heavy performance, you will get superb support, whether the camera or the battery. While if you have an obsession with buying the latest technology phones, the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 might be a better complement to your bookshelf. It may be a strong competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3; as you can see, the phone hits many sections.
But does it adds value unless and until you are a Microsoft fan since you can get better foldable phones at the same price with better customization? If you’re looking for an alternative option, you can try the Samsung galaxy Z fold 3 or Xiaomi Mix Fold smartphone.
