Microsoft’s plans for the Surface Duo 3 reportedly include ditching the dual-screen design in favour of a foldable display and cover display design similar to other foldables, like the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
The details come from Windows Central, which cites sources “familiar with the company’s plans.” Moreover, the change came after Microsoft finalized a dual-screen Duo 3 design intended to ship at the end of 2023 — that design reportedly was scrapped and the Surface team is focusing on the new “true” foldable design.
Other details reported by Windows Central include that the Surface Duo 3 would sport a 180-degree hinge. Microsoft is also working on a larger software effort intended to help differentiate the Duo from other Android foldables. The software effort is reportedly called ‘Perfect Together’ and hopes to offer a similar level of integration between the Surface Duo and Windows PCs as you’d get with an iPhone and a Mac.
Moreover, Microsoft is reportedly interested in expanding it line of Android-powered smartphones and is looking at different form factors beyond foldables. Windows Central notes that nothing is set in stone, but apparently Microsoft has prototyped several traditional slab smartphone designs.
Following rumours that the Surface Duo 2 might have been discontinued, Microsoft says it’s not and that it plans to “update and innovate” the form factor — Surface Duo 3, anyone?
Here’s how it all went down. Windows Central reported that the Surface Duo 2 was out of stock basically everywhere, from Best Buy to Microsoft’s own store in the U.S. (As an aside, currently ‘Obsidian’ variant is out of stock at Microsoft Canada, but the ‘Glacier’ variant is in stock and $600 off right now.) Anyway, Microsoft responded to the Windows Central report with the following statement:
“We are experiencing supply constraints that are impacting stock of Surface Duo 2 units. The product is not being discontinued. We continue to update and to innovate on this form factor and are excited by customer interest.”
So, if you want to buy a Surface Duo 2 but can’t, it’s because Microsoft is dealing with supply issues, not because it discontinued the product. But that second line in the statement is far more intriguing. Updates and innovations? How exciting.
Let’s start with updates. Google released Android 12L with a bunch of improvements for tablets and foldables. Last year, Windows Central said Microsoft was working on bringing 12L to the Surface Duo 2. That likely falls under the “update” category Microsoft mentioned in its statement, and hopefully will mean using the Surface Duo 2 will be smoother with official Android support for dual-screen devices.
As for the “innovate” part, it’s less clear what this could mean. Likely, it’ll be a Surface Duo 3 (or some other take on a foldable smartphone). Again, Windows Central previously reported Microsoft considered going to a single-screen foldable design, like Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, rather than the current two-screen Duo design.
Whether we’ll see any of these changes from Microsoft in the future remains to be seen. The company does have a hardware event happening in October — perhaps we’ll learn about a new Duo device there.
Last month, Google finally started rolling out a ‘split’ mode to its Gboard keyboard. The split-keyboard option is ideal for large screen devices, like foldables, allowing users to easily type using their thumbs.
An added benefit of the new split mode: Gboard on the Surface Duo is slightly less useless now. Before the change, Duo owners could really only rely on Gboard for single-screen use. If you opened the keyboard in an app that spanned both displays, Gboard would also span both screens. While that may sound find, the problem with the Duo is it uses two separate screens with a gap between them for the hinge — that gap blocked some keys on Gboard (see the pic below).
Of course, that’s not to mention the difficulty of actually typing on Gboard when spanned across both screens. Blocked keys aside, my thumbs can’t reach the middle of the screens when holding the Duo, rendering several of the middle keys out of reach.
Because of this, Duo users were stuck with Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard, which included several keyboard modes to work with the Duo’s various screens and typing positions right from the start. (As an aside, I don’t have any problems with SwiftKey on the Duo, and found it generally worked well — I just prefer Gboard because I’m used to it).
Duo users will be able to enjoy Gboard’s split-keyboard both in landscape mode and in the ‘compose’ mode — or, as I like to call it, Nintendo DS mode — when the screens are stacked on top of each other. You can see the new Gboard layout in action in the video above (courtesy of Shane Craig).
The bad news is Duo users may need to wait before they can actually use it. Split-keyboard is only available in the Gboard beta, and even then is only available to some users (for example, I don’t have it on my original Surface Duo, despite being enrolled in the beta and fully up to date). below, you can see the old non-split Gboard:
Hopefully the split-keyboard mode rolls out to more users soon.
A developer has been working on a project that aims to get Windows 11 running on a Surface Duo. What can only be described as a passion project, Gustave Monce is making incremental advancements in this pursuit and has hit a new milestone.
In a new video Monce recently shared, the developer explains that the performance is now better than they expected. They compare the performance to a Lumia 950 XL, and notes that the difference is an “ocean.” Monce also confirms that the thermals of the Surface Duo are “very good.”
Although it’s far from perfect, Monce can run a form of Windows 11 across the two screens of the Surface Duo. The video shows the File Explorer window being dragged across the left to the right before snapping to the right screen. Monce also briefly demos Microsoft Edge running on the left screen.
Following the initial clip, Monce shows that the Adreno GPU and shaders are all working well. The developer controls the systems and apps using a Bluetooth mouse. They states that there is no touch support currently but say that it’s coming “soon.”
However, there are some glaring issues. For example, there are on-screen glitches during the demo and there’s no LTE support. With Windows 11, the Surface Duo’s camera and gyroscope are also not working.
It’s also worth noting that Monce’s work is on the original Surface Duo. None of these advancements appear to be operational on the Surface Duo 2.
It’s unclear why Monce is putting so much work into getting Windows 11 running on the device, especially since the Surface Duo is already a pretty niche device. That said, seeing Windows 11 work across the Surface Duo’s dual-screen is still still pretty impressive.
They did it. They finally went and put Windows 11 on the original Surface Duo — and you can too.
Engineering student Gustave Monce and developer Simone Franco have put out a guide explaining how to install Windows 11 on a Surface Duo. But, it’s probably not something you want to do for a variety of reasons.
First, you’ll need at least a 128GB Surface Duo since you’ll have to dual-boot Windows 11 and Android — that gives you 64GB for both operating systems. Moreover, you’ll need a PC to actually boot Windows on the Duo. Otherwise, it just boots Android as usual.
We've made available an early preview of the work I've done on Surface Duo. It's still early, not much works, but you can try it as early as today if you want to.
Second, you’ll need to boot Windows 11 on ARM. If you’ve followed the Windows on ARM saga at all, you’ll know that it’s extremely limited, at least compared to x86 Windows.
Oh, and nothing works. Like, at all.
According to Neowinand The Verge, Windows 11 will boot on the Surface Duo, but touch controls, networking, cellular data, and the cameras all don’t function.
Finally, it’s worth noting that installing Windows 11 on a Surface Duo will likely void your warranty and could brick the device. In other words, don’t do it unless you know what you’re doing (and even if you do, proceed at your own risk).
As spotted by 9to5Google, a Microsoft support page for the update notes that it’s rolling out to unlocked Duos in North America and Europe. That includes Canada — I was able to start downloading the update on my Duo. Those with locked or unlocked AT&T Surface Duos, however, will need to wait a little longer.
The support page also lists the new features included with the update, which clocks in at a whopping 2.38GB. There are a ton, so we picked out some of the highlights. For the full list, click here.
Updated to Android 11 and Android Security Bulletin – January 2022.
New options for answering phone calls when device is folded.
New options for setting apps to automatically open across both screens.
Updated app drawer and folder design with improved drag-and-drop support.
New dual-screen experience for viewing and editing photos in OneDrive.
Xbox Game Pass: play games from the cloud with an on-screen controller.
With the update, the original Duo should now be on par with the Duo 2, at least in terms of software. Now, the wait for Android 12 begins, both for the Duo and Duo 2.
Before the Surface Duo was an Android device, it was supposed to run Windows. More specifically, a version of Windows called ‘Andromeda OS’ that Microsoft cancelled in 2018.
However, thanks to a new video from Windows Central, we’ve finally got a glimpse of what Andromeda OS would have been like. There are a few caveats, as the publication points out — namely, they show off the software running on a Lumia 950 because that’s what Microsoft used internally to develop Andromeda OS. The company never intended for these internal images to ship and, since Microsoft cancelled the project, what we see is unfinished.
The other major caveat is that Andromeda OS was intended for a dual-screen device like the Surface Duo, which makes it difficult to show off some aspects of it on a single-screen device like the Lumia 950. Still, with all this in mind, it’s incredibly interesting to see Andromeda OS in action, particularly the parts that made the jump to Android and ultimately shipped on the Surface Duo. Check out the video below:
And for those of you who hate videos, Windows Central has a great in-depth write-up about Andromeda OS here.
Some of the standouts from the Andromeda OS video include the unique ‘journaling/inking’ focus. Andromeda OS effectively turns the home screen and some of the lock screen into an ‘inking’ space where users can quickly write notes, draw and more. There’s nothing to activate — just take the Surface Pen and start writing.
Of course, there are plenty of inking/writing apps available (including Microsoft’s Whiteboard app, which was born out of the Andromeda OS journal according to Windows Central). What makes the Andromeda OS approach unique is the near-constant availability. The journal is never more than a swipe or two away. I’d be interested to see something like this on the Android-powered Surface Duo, which might give it a more interesting use-case beyond running two apps at once.
Also interesting is the combination of Cortana and notifications. While the implementation shown in the video appears very basic, it’s easy to see how Microsoft could have shaped the combination and used it to make Cortana into a digital assistant capable of helping work through notifications, re-surfacing reminders and more.
There’s a gesture system as well — some of which did make it to Android, particularly the windowing system for managing apps across two displays. Beyond that, Andromeda OS seemed like your standard smartphone OS, with some Windows Phone flair like ‘Live Tiles.’
While part of me is sad that we never got to see a finished Andromeda OS running on the Surface Duo, it’s likely better this way. As Windows Central pointed out, Andromeda OS still would have needed to manage things like a lack of apps compared to Android and iOS. Plus, as interesting as the journal-as-home-screen idea was, I’m not sure if users would have gotten on board with it.
In a statement to Windows Central, Microsoft confirmed it’s “finalizing” the update and plans to start rolling it out soon, starting with unlocked phones:
“We’re finalizing the validation and certification for Android 11. We originally planned to deploy Android 11 as an update for Surface Duo in December, but we needed a few more weeks to ensure a great experience for Surface Duo customers. We expect to begin Android 11 rollout in the next few weeks, beginning with unlocked devices.”
While it’s good to see that the update will arrive soon, it’s certainly been a long time coming. The Duo launched with Android 10 and hasn’t seen a major upgrade since, even after the Duo 2 launched with Android 11.
Windows Central adds that its sources claim the update has been ready for weeks but was delayed in part due to the holiday break. Additionally, the update still needs validation and certification from partners including Google and U.S. carrier AT&T.
Moreover, the publication notes that Microsft plans to skip Android 12 and go straight to the Android 12L upgrade for the Duo line. Assuming Microsoft can work faster on the 12L update, that should be good news for Duo owners — Google’s work on Android 12L should make the mobile OS play nicer on foldables and dual-screen devices.
Microsoft may still be struggling to get its dual-screen Surface Duo smartphone right, but the company’s new patent for a triple-screen phone suggests it could be looking forward to the inevitable Surface Trio (that name’s on the house, Microsoft).
Spotted by Patently Apple (via Gizmodo), the Microsoft patent shows a phone with three screens and two hinges. Gizmodo describes it as a trifold wallet or ‘triptych,’ but the patent concept is basically just a Surface Duo with an extra hinge and panel.
While the patent illustration looks quite sleek, given how thick current foldables are, there’s no way that a three-screen device like this wouldn’t be massive. It’d also likely be quite heavy with all that extra material. Microsoft has so far done an impressive job of making the individual panels of its Surface Duo devices thin, but when you fold the device (thus stacking the panels), it becomes much thicker. And of course, one of the two sets of hinges would need to be much larger to accommodate folding over an extra panel.
It’s also worth noting that Microsoft isn’t the only company considering a triple-screen device. LetsGoDigital reported on a Samsung patent filed in mid-June describing a similar device — you can check out a concept model in the video below. TCL has a trifold concept as well.
I’m looking forward to trying a wild three-screen concept like what Microsoft has patented, although I’m already confident I’ll hate it. Having tested both the Surface Duo and Duo 2, I found that I liked the idea of multi-screen phones, but not the execution. Plus, I had a hard enough time finding two apps I wanted to run side-by-side — how will I ever come up with three to run on a triple-screen device?
Microsoft’s late 2019-released Surface Duo is currently 50 percent off as part of the company’s holiday sale.
Regularly available for $1,869.99, the 128GB dual-screen smartphone-tablet is currently listed for $934.99 at the Microsoft Store, marking a 50 percent discount. However, the price still seems to be too high, considering you can get way better devices for the same price or less.
Regardless, if you’re still adamant about getting the Surface Duo, here are a few specs about the device:
The Surface Duo features two 5.6-inch PixelSense Fusion touchscreen displays that let you either view two apps at once or expand one app to both screens. The dual-screen phablet is powered by a 2.84GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 6GB of DRAM. The device uses a 3,577mAh battery that “had a surprising amount of longevity,” said MobileSyrup staff reporter Jonathan Lamont in his review of the Surface Duo. “The Surface Duo always made it through a day of use, usually with five or more hours of screen on time.”
Lamont gave the Surface Duo a modest 7/10 rating in his review. You can learn more about the device’s pros and cons here and decide if the Surface Duo is for you.
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