The Microsoft Surface Duo is finally on pre-orders in the United States, and its details are almost identical to the leaks released in the past few months.
2020 has been the year of retribution. Companies like Samsung are fixing their mistakes in the past and are owning up to it. Apple also is truly recognizing what its consumers want, which is a cheap Apple-powered phone. Fortunately, they listened and released the iPhone SE.
Microsoft wants to join in on the fun too. It’s on a rising trajectory to hit the peak of its redemption arc with the Microsoft Surface Duo. Consequently, they just surprised everyone with a piece of big news.
Microsoft Surface Duo on pre-orders
Today, Microsoft announced that the Surface Duo is now available for pre-orders for interested customers in the United States. The device will retail for AU$ 1,960 if directly converted from U.S. Dollars. However, factoring in additional taxes in Australia, the Surface Duo could come around at $2,110.
The Redmond-based company confirmed the rumors leaked about the Surface Duo in the past months. It will have two 5.6-inch OLED display. When these two panels are laid flat, they form one 8.1-inch display.
The main thrust of the device is super productivity. They hope that introducing two pocketable screens will boost multitasking for its users. Unfortunately, there are some downsides to the device in terms of hardware. First and foremost, at that hefty price point, it is still not 5G, and NFC enabled. Many other competing phones provide such at a cheaper price tag.
Also, they may fall short on the productivity angle. The Surface Duo will only have a total of 3577mAh of battery capacity, which is dwarfed by Samsung Galaxy Note 20‘s 4,500mAh size.
Microsoft and Android marriage
The people over in Redmond know that putting out their operating system is the best way to go. As such, they knocked on Google’s Android department for a tie-up. What came out of it is a masterpiece of a system that provides the best of both worlds.
In the Surface Duo, users will be able to get a full Android experience on Microsoft’s key applications. The two companies work hand-in-hand to deliver a seamless experience on the device. As such, no big adjustments or learnings are needed. As a result, the Surface Duo will ship out plug-and-play for users.
Panos Panay of Microsoft thinks that this is the ‘sexiest’ device they’ve ever built. When asked what the selling point of the device is, he said,
“It does things that single-screen devices can’t do, period.”
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