Microsoft Surface Duo: Not Entirely Successful

The Microsoft Surface popularized a new category: the 2-in-1 PC. Now the company is hoping to do the same thing on a smaller scale with the Surface Duo, a phone-tablet that tries to enable those multitasking, productive workflows that never quite happen on your single-screen handset.

- SASCHA SEGAN

It’s ambitious, certainly, but it’s not entirely successful, with bugs and ergonomic issues that sometimes make the Duo confusing and frustrating to use. Though it costs even more, the $1,999 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a much more successful example of a folding phone.

A SHIMMERING NEW DESIGN

This isn’t the first dual-screen phone. The Kyocera Echo and the ZTE Axon M were both failed attempts at something like this form factor. But those phones were from lower-profile companies and appeared on only one carrier each, with sluggish performance. It’s safe to say that the Duo is the first serious attempt at this dual-screen form.

The Surface Duo is made of two glass slabs connected by a metal hinge. Because the screens are separate, the gap between them doesn’t give access to the innards of the device, allowing for a much slimmer hinge than on the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The screens are also tougher— they’re real glass, not the flexible “ultra-thin glass” that Samsung uses. And they work with the $99.99 Surface Pen, whereas Samsung’s device has no stylus support.

The Duo comes with an adhesive rubber bumper that sticks to the edges of the device to protect it. It isn’t quite a case, but you absolutely want to use it; it not only cushions the Duo on drops, but it also gives the edges a grip so they don’t slide around when it’s semi folded like a tent.