However, as intrigued as I am, I can already see some potential issues with the Surface Duo. For one, typing in some orientations can be a bit annoying. When you click on a text field on the left screen in booklet mode, you will get a one-handed keyboard that is tuned to your left thumb. That seems like a good idea, but I can not imagine myself entering a lot with one finger, and it seems too difficult to pass with your right hand. Instead, you have to turn the Duo into landscape mode to get a large keyboard that fits both inches. You can also use any Surface Pen to jot down notes, but that’s something you should buy separately and carry in your pocket as there is no way to attach it to the Duo.
Microsoft is also going directly against the trend of multi-camera smartphone. The Surface Duo just has a single 11-megapixel shooter located above its right screen. It looks like a typical front lens – to use it as a rear view camera, you just need to fill the screen back. While Microsoft says the Duo has a portrait mode and can shoot multi-frame HDR photos, it’s all software based. It will not be able to take advantage of different lens lenses like other premium smartphones. There is no question of a night recording mode, so you can probably forget about decent performance with low light. While Microsoft could still surprise us with the camera, the specs do not give me much hope.
The Surface Duo may also seem a bit strange, now that Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 2, its third attempt to make flexible phones work. But Panay, once the man of the company, thinks there’s a very clear reason why Microsoft chose to build devices with two separate, hinge-connected displays. “I believe in windows,” he said. “I believe in window.” The company has found that users do multi-tasking differently when they can organize their work across two separate screens, instead of one screen. And of course, it also helps that the Duo is much cheaper than the original Galaxy Z Fold, which costs well over $ 2,000 (we do not yet know the prices of the Z Fold 2). The $ 1,380 Galaxy Z Flip is a bit more affordable, but the smaller screen is not nearly as handy as the Surface Duos.
You can pre-order the Surface Duo in the Microsoft Store, AT&T and Best Buy. It will also work on T-Mobile and Verizon networks, if you have an unlocked model.
