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Microsoft Surface Duo hits stores this month.
Microsoft Surface Duo hits stores this month, marking the company’s long-awaited return to the smartphone market.
The $ 1,399 Duo is a “foldable” phone, a category that also includes Samsung’s $ 1,999 Galaxy Z Fold2 and Motorola’s $ 1,399 Razr 5G. Where those devices feature a single flexible ultra-thin display, the Duo has two displays connected by a hinge mechanism.
“Two screens side by side is what this product is all about,” said Microsoft product manager Panos Panay in an interview with ABC Audio.
Jeremy Kaplan, editor-in-chief of Digital Trends, said that having two displays allows users to compartmentalize data more easily.
“What Microsoft engineers have relied on is cognitive science. And they have shown that by separating this, by having two physical displays, your brain can process information better.”
But having a dual-screen device has its drawbacks, which have been noted in early reviews of the Duo.
“There is a learning curve that comes with that,” said Panay. “You can see that in the reviews, you can feel it in the conversations.”
He said it may take a while to get used to the device’s new form factor.
“I don’t think it ends at a point of frustration. It’s just a matter of finding all the things you can do with the device that takes time.”
Other complaints from reviewers focused on the Duo’s camera setup. The Duo features a single 11 megapixel camera sensor. The foldable recently introduced by Samsung, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, has five cameras, three of which are 12-megapixel units.
“We get asked all the time: why didn’t you put a better camera on the back of the device? But ultimately, it wasn’t designed for that,” said Panay.
The Duo also attracted attention for its software. Existing Windows phones used the operating system designed internally by Microsoft. The Duo uses Google’s Android software. Panay said the reason Microsoft chose to borrow software from another tech giant was due to the dominance of Google apps.
“Android is so powerful for this product. You know, the millions of apps that you can choose from, the ones that are most important to you.”
It’s a sentiment Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella echoed in an interview with ABC Audio last year after the partnership with Google was first announced.
“We felt there was a real need for someone to come out and innovate at this next tipping point around dual-screen devices, and we said: let’s use Android,” Nadella said at the time.
Kaplan believes Microsoft is making the right decision by partnering with Google.
“It makes sense to lean on Android here. Microsoft has said, ‘we want to be where our customers are, we want to be where the people are.’ And where are the people? They are in the Google Play Store. They are using Android phones. “
As for the future of folding smartphones, Panay said he is optimistic.
“I think it’s the form factor phones should go to,” said Panay.
Listen to ABC News Radio’s Dave Packer report on Microsoft’s return to the smartphone market:
