Microsoft has announced its new Surface Duo. This smartphone will receive more and better cameras, 5G support and larger 90Hz screens. The phone has a suggested retail price from 1649 euros and is only available for the business market.
Microsoft reports during its Surface presentation that the Surface Duo 2 will be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888-soc. That is currently Qualcomm’s highest-ranking soc and also supports 5G connectivity. The original Surface had a Snapdragon 855 chip, which was a generation old when the smartphone was released. The device also comes with 8GB LPDDR5 memory and 128GB, 256GB or 512GB storage.
Unlike the original Surface Duo, the Surface Duo 2 features a camera island that protrudes from the back of the phone. Microsoft processes, among other things, a primary 12-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. That camera is assisted by a 16-megapixel sensor with ultra-wide-angle lens and a telephoto camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels and optical image stabilization. The previous Surface Duo had a single camera with 11-megapixel resolution.
Images via Microsoft
The Surface Duo 2 has two separate 5.8 “amoled screens. These two displays together offer a screen diagonal of 8.3” when the smartphone is unfolded. Microsoft provides the screens with a variable refresh rate up to 90Hz and the screens should be brighter than those of the previous Surface Duo. The individual screens have a resolution of 1344×1892 pixels, which makes for a total of 2844×1892 pixels.
The screen edges are also slightly curved, so that users can also view notifications, the battery percentage and the time when the device is folded. Users can magnetically attach a Surface Pen stylus to the side of the Surface Duo 2 with a pen cover. The phone’s power button has an integrated fingerprint scanner. The 4449mAh battery is charged via USB-C. The Microsoft Surface 23W charger is sold separately. The device measures 145.2×184.5×5.5mm when unfolded and weighs 284 grams.
Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 smartphone runs on Android 11 and will be available in two colors; black and white. The tech giant will release the smartphone in the Netherlands on November 15 at a suggested retail price from 1649 euros, for a model with 128GB storage. The Surface Duo 2 will only be available for the business market, the company reports. In the Netherlands, USB-C earbuds are supplied with the smartphone.
The Microsoft Surface Duo 2. Image via Microsoft
–