Duo-take: Here is what the media say about Surface Duo

08/15/2020 World


When Microsoft announced the price and release date ($ 1400 and September 10) of the new Surface Duo earlier this week, reactions among Microsoft fans generally ranged from disappointed to incredibly upbeat. On the one hand, Microsoft is bringing its trusted Surface design skills to a new type of mobile productivity device. On the other hand, Surface Duo is a first-generation smartphone that is missing in some key areas.

Among many of the media, there has been a decidedly optimistic tone when it comes to Surface Duo, despite its shortcomings. While Microsoft’s new flagship may not hold up to something like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in terms of raw specs, it is a decidedly focused product that is meant to deliver a very specific experience. And it receives for the most part kudos from the tech sphere for trying something new.

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If you have not had the opportunity to write through the tens of thousands of words written on it this week, here’s a look at just some of the media reactions in the wake of the Surface launch Duo.

Sam Rutherford, writes for Gizmodo:

However, the Surface Duo lacked something many other gadgets: vision. It feels like a phone designed with a mission instead of just being a tech demo, and with Microsoft apparently gone alone, it’s a vision that could become a very seductive reality.

JR Raphael, writes for Computerworld:

But to focus entirely on those disadvantages at this point is a mistake. The Surface Duo seems to be best seen as a first step – an ambitious move to create a new kind of product category and a bold attempt to flesh out the ever-expanding and increasingly platform-agnostic Microsoft ecosystem. It does not seem like a stretch to compare this start to the start of the primary Surface line, where the first model was hailed as intriguingly different and incredibly promising, but not elaborate enough to make it worth buying.

Cherlynn Low, Engadget:

Tom Warren, writes for The Verge:

The real question will be how well Surface Duo, and devices like it, improve productivity along the way, and whether two mobile screens are really needed. These devices will eventually require some hardware advancement to really take away the vision. But if customers agree with Microsoft, Samsung and others that two screens are better than one, then we are witnessing the future being built. If not, we see unique attempts to try and recreate mobile devices. At least mobile phones are suddenly getting exciting again. As Panay would say, we are pumped to see where this all goes.

Harry McCracken, writes for Fast Company

I got enough of a Surface Duo feel to come up with an initial impression, which is pretty much a damn version of Panay and Nadella’s airy explanations of the device. With its two large screens and the multiple ways to keep it for different types of work, it should be the best pocket device ever designed for using Microsoft’s Office apps, assuming bugs do not get in the way. That alone gives it a more cohesive mission than many catchy phones, which – even if they’re cool – sometimes struggle to be anything more than a pitifully novelty.

David Ruddock, Android Police:

Raymond Wong, writes for input:

Clearly, if you’re looking for a killer camera, the Duo will not be it (the lack of a camera bump is a telling giveaway). But when you think of the Duo in the context of the strange COVID-19 world we live in, the transforming form factor – it can have a phone that opens into a tablet, that can run two apps simultaneously, and seamlessly connect to Windows PCs – makes a lot of sense. More people work from home, moving from room to room, from desk to sofa to bed, quickly shaking inside and out. A transforming device that accommodates these behaviors is smarter than before.

Mary Jo Foley, writes for ZDNet:

Microsoft is counting on users who see the Duo as filling an untapped niche. But for people who were used to carrying no more than two devices – usually a PC / tablet or phone – where does the Duo fit? In its first iteration, with a seemingly mediocre 11 MP camera, an older Snapdragon 855 processor and a relatively heavy form factor (about half a pound), the Duo will not replace my Pixel 3XL Android phone. And with a total screen size as open of 8.1 inches, the Duo is just too small to replace my PC.

Emil Protalinski, writes for VentureBeat:

Microsoft is not doing itself any favors by cutting Duo on the launch pad, which I’m afraid its successors might hurt as well. The good news is that the company is not turning its Surface line into a billion-dollar company by throwing in the towel to one generation. I’m waiting for the unforgettably poorly named Surface Duo 2.

Ian Sherr, writes for CNET:

For Microsoft, the Surface Duo is about to try to come up with something really new in an era where most phones look the same, and those that have not disconnected.

Whatever criticism you level at Microsoft level, the Surface Duo is a kind of device that none of its peers offer. Whether that is good or bad will satisfy you.

Michael Fisher (aka MrMobile):

Lisa Gade, MobileTechReview:

The Surface Duo certainly has a lot of potential for improvement in further iterations, but it will be interesting to see if Microsoft’s first-generation device can live up to its lofty goals. For now, if you’re interested and want your hands on a Surface Duo, it’s available for pre-order from $ 1,400 at Microsoft, Best Buy, and AT&T.

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