Microsoft Surface Duo: A Little Too Late?
August 15, 2020
Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft introduced its Android based Surface Duo towards the end of last year. And at the time, with the influx of foldable phones like the Galaxy Fold and Motorola Razr, the device seemed pointless. Dual screen technology was considered the past, while folding screens – were the future. And as such, nobody really cared about it.
But Microsoft is adamant that the Surface Duo isn’t a tablet masquerading as a laptop or vice versa. Instead, it’s an entirely new mobile device meant to provide smartphone users with a level of productivity that neither smartphone nor tablet can offer. Admittedly The ability to juggle between multiple apps on either device, is possible, but not conducive to productivity.
That’s where the Surface Duo comes in, its dual screen layout is optimized to allow users to do two things at once. The proprietary algorithm senses when a user’s finger glides across one screen and onto the other, and helps to improve the overall responsiveness. This is especially useful for reading documents, accessing information while on a video chat or scrolling across websites.
The same is true of gaming or media consumption, because the orientation of the Surface Duo dictates its usefulness. In portrait mode, it can be used with two apps open, side by side. When placed on its side, it can function as a mini laptop, or a full-fledged 8.1-inch tablet. This serves a variety of purposes that include Microsoft 365, e-books and Android apps.
The company also says that Office, Outlook, Teams, Edge, OneNote, OneDrive, Microsoft To DO and several Microsoft apps, have been optimized to take full advantage of the Surface Duo’s screen. This sounds promising, because on paper, this device addresses several qualms that have prevented many consumers from embarrassing the Post-PC era.
The minuscule 8.1-inch screen will never be able to take the place of a full-fledged laptop, but is more than able to fill the shoes of an oversized smartphone with added multi-tasking abilities. That said, here’s the kicker, the device costs $1,399. Apparently, being a Jack-Of-All-Trades isn’t cheap, but it’s an obscene amount of money to pay for a glorified tablet.
Microsoft says the Surface Duo is available for preorder in the US through MicrosoftStore.com, AT&T and BestBuy. It will hit stores on September 10th. If you would like to know more, visit Surface Duo for Business.
