(SwiftKey seems to be the only keyboard option instead of Gboard.) This is a fantastic orientation for content consumption, as I found while streaming the football while cooking dinner. The Duo 2 can sit, cocked at a 90-degree angle, so that one screen can display an email app (Outlook appends a ‘Sent on Surface Duo’ signature by default) and the other can project Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard. Microsoft loves to tout the engineering behind its Surface hinges, and yes, the Surface Duo 2 lives up to its reputation. It doesn’t seem to have any negative effect on either the camera or phone, however. Unfortunately, that creates a fairly thick camera bump that prevents the Duo 2 from flattening out when folded back on itself. With the Surface Duo 2, Microsoft invested in a rear-facing three camera array. It also can be a bit top-heavy, too, with the camera bump. This landscape orientation is quite useful for streaming video and games, but a persistent gyroscope glitch means that the screens often get stuck in a portrait orientation in multiple scenarios. With the original Duo, this was the only way to take a photo, as there was just a Unlike, say, Samsung’s Galaxy Fold devices, there’s a distinct gap between the two displays – these are two separate screens, which can fold closed like a book or else fold back along itself. The Surface Duo 2’s book-like pair of screens is the phone’s selling point, and it’s the obvious place to begin. The Surface Duo 2 is a dual-SIM phone, but with one eSIM and one physical SIM slot. A USB-C cable is thankfully included, though, and for free. No, Microsoft does not ship a charger alongside the Surface Duo 2 (thanks, Apple) and you’ll pay extra for the plug. The real thumb in your eye is the Surface Duo 2 charger. If you’d like to ink on the Surface Duo 2, you can buy the Surface Slim Pen 2 and the Surface Duo 2 Pen Cover (price not disclosed yet) which will grip and charge the Slim Pen 2. Microsoft also sells a Surface Do 2 bumper, which we didn’t test, which surrounds the Duo 2’s edge and provides some basic protection. Thank you!Ĭamera bumps aren’t that unusual with modern smartphones, and Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 joins the club. You can support the site directly via Paypal donations ☕. TNR earns Amazon affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases.Semi-Annual Sale: Save $60 on the Inspiron 24 All-in-One.If you buy into the Microsoft ecosystem, you’ll be saving most storage-chewing photos and videos to OneDrive, which means anything above the base model is superfluous.

Two other versions are available: a 256GB SSD model and the top option with 512GB of storage, for £.

The Surface Duo 2 costs an astounding £, minimum, for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The camera is just okay, there are still bugs, and the price tag is outrageous. Yes, it checks some of the boxes people asked for, but little more.

The Surface Duo 2 represents Microsoft’s attempt to reach a middle ground.

Microsoft surface duo 2 512gb