Tech specs: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 | Two displays: 5.8-inches, 1892×1344 pixels | RAM/Storage: 8GB/128GB-256GB-512GB | Cameras: 12MP wide, 12MP telephoto with 2x optical, and 16MP ultra-wide, 12MP front-facing camera | Battery: 4,449mAh
Microsoft made waves when it first announced a return to smartphones, in the form of a dual-screen foldable under the Surface line. The Surface Duo was promised to be a productivity champion, with all the Microsoft quirks to convince potential buyers. Instead, we got a device that, as good as it looked, didn’t have the software chaps to put it beside the best of the rest.
Fast forward to 2021, and Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 offers a much more robust package, including a refined Microsoft Pen experience. While the stylus is sold separately, once equipped, the sleek accessory provides enhanced accuracy and greater control of your handwritten needs. It can even be propped onto the front side of the Surface Duo 2 by magnets, saving you the cost of a companion case.
Looking at the phone itself, the Surface Duo 2 has a spec sheet that fares well against other flagships of 2021, which is already better than the original. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 4,449mAh battery. There’s now a camera module at the back of the device and a new hinge that Microsoft calls “Glance Bar”. When the dual screens are folded together, the Glance Bar acts as an always-on display for the time, notifications, and other alarms.
