Tech giant Microsoft is back in the smartphone business with the Surface Duo. The two-screen smartphone was launched starting at $1,399 in the US on Wednesday.
"We built Surface Duo to give people Microsoft 365 mobile experiences, every Android app in the Google Play store, and a seamless cross-device experience with your Windows 10 PC," said Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer, Windows + Devices.
The company said it has worked to optimise apps including Office, Outlook, Teams, Edge, OneNote, OneDrive and more for two screens, while continuing to extend Windows to add more value to people also using Android phones.
"With the Your Phone app on Surface Duo, you can get notifications and texts, make and receive calls, share photos and even mirror the dual-screen experience of your Duo right on your Windows PC," Panay said in a statement.
What are the features?
Surface Duo connects two PixelSense Fusion Displays to create one expansive 8.1-inch screen.
Available for preorder in the US, the Microsoft 365-packed device comes with Dynamic 360-degree hinge allows people to use each screen individually or together, across a variety of modes.
The device offers Dual 5.6-inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip, 6GB RAM (with two 128GB and 256GB RAM variants), a 3577 mAh battery and runs Android 10.
The users can easily copy and paste content between Surface Duo and PC.
One can pair Surface Duo with a supported Bluetooth controller to play games on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or with Surface Earbuds (coming on September 10 in Graphite Grey).
One can also easily take notes with the Surface Slim Pen.
"As we unlock new experiences with Duo, we are working closely with Google to make additions to the Android operating system, paving the way for more apps to take advantage of the full productivity power of two screens," Panay said.
Surface Duo is available for pre-order in the US via MicrosoftStore.com, AT&T and BestBuy. It will be available in store and online beginning September 10, said the company.
Check out the pictures of Surface Duo from the internet:
