Unboxing the Surface Duo: Hands-on with Microsoft’s ambitious new phone
Whether you have plans to buy it or merely watch the hype unfold over the internet, the Surface Duo is undoubtedly one of the most interesting phones to be released in 2020. That it’s coming so early in the year — it was originally slated for closer to Christmas — is one of the few gifts this otherwise terrible year has given us.
Most typical smartphone users are just growing used to the idea that foldables are real, that they’re not as fallible as originally thought, and that, inevitably, they will be mainstream. Microsoft’s take on the foldable avoids the foibles of flexible displays and breakable plastic overlays, relying instead on two distinct OLED screens and a sturdy, infinitely adjustable hinge that forms the, well, backbone of the Duo itself.
The reviewer’s kit is a deliberate play on the Duo’s extensible nature, unspooling horizontally to reveal a vertical flap inside that, underneath, houses the Surface Duo retail box as well as a pair of Surface Earbuds in a new Graphite color that should be available on September 10, the same day as the Duo itself.
Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central
Inside the Surface Duo’s box, opened with a quick pull-tab, is the phone itself, an 18W USB-C charger, a USB C-to-USB C cable, and a bumper case that adheres to the edges of the ultra-thin Surface Duo. I don’t see myself using the bumper — it makes an already-wide phone even wider — but it’s great to have it included given that the unconventional design of the phone will limit third-party accessory options.
Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central
The buttons, all adorned on the phone’s right-screen edge when closed, are clicky and easy to identify. The capacitive fingerprint sensor is in a comfortable position for the thumb when the phone is open on either side. The USB-C port is unfortunately not centered.
Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central
Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central
The phone closes with a soft, satisfying metallic thud, and it goes back to being an unassuming book-like thing that resembles nothing else on the market today.
Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central
Preorder today
Microsoft Surface Duo
Two screens are better than one
Microsoft delves into the future of foldables with an ambitious dual-screen device, featuring two ultra-thin 5.6-inch AMOLED displays bound by a 360-degree hinge. This pocketable inking-enabled Android smartphone marks the latest in the Surface lineup, geared for mobile productivity.
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