Microsoft Surface Duo To Launch on September 10th, Prices Start at $1,399

BY Mahit Huilgol

Published 12 Aug 2020

Microsoft is finally launching its Surface Duo dual-display smartphone on September 10th. The Surface Duo is priced at $1,399 and preorders have already started in the US. You can preorder from AT&T, Best Buy, and Microsoft’s online store. Previously, Surface Duo was spotted many times and Microsoft executives teased the device on Twitter as well.

Microsoft had revealed the Surface Duo last year. However, the company didn’t decide to keep the specifications under wraps. The Surface Duo comes fitted with two 5.6-inch OLED displays that offer a total screen size of 8.1-inch when connected. Furthermore, the display comes with Gorilla Glass and is seemingly stronger than the foldable displays on Samsung and Motorola.

Camera specifications on Surface Duo include an 11-MP f/2.0 camera that offers HDR, low-light mode, and a hybrid-zoom of up to 7x. It supports both 4K and 1080p video recording at 30fps and 60fps. Microsoft has decided to go with a single camera that can be used for photography and video calling. The single-camera unit on Surface Duo seems underwhelming especially after considering the $1,399 price tag.

The Surface Duo is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 paired with 6GB of RAM. On the storage front, the device offers up to 256GB of onboard storage. Surprisingly, there is no mention of 5G support while LTE is available for T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. Backing the device is a 3,755mAh battery and Microsoft claims “all-day battery life.” We feel the battery capacity is a bit too less considering it has to power not one, but two displays.

Microsoft has ensured that all the Android apps are supported on the device without the need for any modification. Unlike Samsung’s foldable device, the Surface Duo treats the display as two separate units. Meanwhile, developers can choose to take advantage of two displays and accordingly redesign their app. Apparently, Microsoft is working closely with Google and has created APIs for dual-screen apps which will work on Android codebase.

It is interesting to see Microsoft make a comeback in the smartphone segment with an Android device. The company completely shut down Windows Mobile device last year.

[via TheVerge]