Microsoft Surface Duo 2 foldable phone review

Microsoft made a great effort in developing the Surface Duo 2, the second generation of its foldable phone, which it announced in late September, as it got rid of many operational and design flaws found in the first generation.

the design

Microsoft has completely redesigned every aspect of the Surface Duo 2. As a result, the outer and inner surfaces are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

A fingerprint reader is also integrated into the power button. While the USB-C charging port is centered on the right half of the phone.

These additions make the phone a bit thicker, and it weighs 284 grams, making it a bit heavier than Samsung's Galaxy Fold 3.

The increase in size and weight is due to the presence of a battery with a larger capacity than the first model, up to 4449 mAh, which lasts a whole day on a single charge.

The two monitors are joined by a 360-degree hinge that makes it easy to switch from using the two monitors to the single monitor.

Screen and Smart Pen support on Surface Duo 2

The phone has two 5.8-inch OLED screens inside. And both come with a resolution of 1344 x 1892 pixels and support a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz.

When the phone is opened, the two screens become a single 8.3-inch screen with a resolution of 2688 x 1892 pixels, with a frame extending between the two screens. You can bend the phone like a book or put it like a tent.

Given that curved screens display a small screen when the device is closed, Microsoft uses this space as a secondary external display called the Glance Bar.

And while it's not nearly as effective as the galaxy Z Fold 3's external display, it's not as effective. But it can display call and SMS notifications, voice mail, battery charge level, and volume level.

In addition, the phone supports all the different Surface Pens sold separately. The experience of writing with the new pen is much better than in the previous model.

And the new pen works better with the company's original apps like OneNote and Sticky Notes.

System and Application Support

The Surface Duo 2 comes with the Android 11 operating system, which provides a better user experience. The company promises three years of updates, including monthly bug fixes and security patches.

With regard to applications, Microsoft has worked to greatly support gaming applications to take advantage of the large screen.

As a result, the use of games that require the use of touch controls to function better in dual screen is supported.

The company recommends users to sign up for Xbox Game Pass to take advantage of streaming games that use touch controls.

And if you don't want to use touch controls, just pair your Xbox One controller, put your Surface Duo 2 into tent mode, and start playing right away.

You can also now choose certain apps to run in automatic extension mode, i.e. open them in dual view mode by default.

The company has rebuilt the camera and photo apps. When you launch the Camera app, you can take a picture on the right screen and display it on the left screen at the same time.

As soon as you hit the edit button, that photo moves to the right screen where a whole bunch of editing tools are located.

Camera

Surface Duo 2 comes with a triple rear camera setup with a 12MP main lens, a 16MP ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP telephoto lens with 2X optical zoom.

In addition, there is a single 12-megapixel front camera that supports optical image stabilization. The phone also supports 1080p and 4K video recording at 30 and 60 frames per second.

Compared to the previous model, Microsoft has improved the performance of the camera, as it uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to process images.

The camera also includes features for slow motion video, portraits, panorama, and a new night mode.

Specifications and performance

The Surface Duo 2 comes with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB of RAM, and three options for 128, 256, and 512GB internal storage. But it does not support expansion via microSD card.

The phone supports 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, NFC technology for contactless payments, as well as Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.

The two screens make it easy to run two apps at the same time, and you can also extend one app across the two screens. But only the apps that work best in this mode are the original Microsoft apps.

And the screen expansion mode does not work well with video because of the hinge gap in the middle. As a result, you need to flip the phone over and watch videos through one of the screens in landscape mode.

The phone generally looks better than the previous model, thanks to the newer processor and upgraded RAM.

The phone is more reliable and has more features to keep you entertained and increase productivity, such as screen expansion mode, auto dark mode and screen night light modes.

Is Surface Duo 2 worth buying

There is no smartphone that directly competes with the Surface Duo 2 on the market right now, with the exception of the first model of the phone itself.

When looking for a foldable phone, the first recommendation is the Galaxy Z Fold 3 from Samsung. However, if you're looking for a dual-screen phone to use as a small Android tablet, the Surface Duo 2 might be the top choice as a secondary device.

The Surface Duo 2 starts at $1,500 for the 128GB model, and is available in black and white color options.

Read also: Comparison between my Surface Duo 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 3