![]() ![]() ![]() The Surface Duo is primarily designed to be used with one app on each screen, since that's where the main productivity benefits come into play. I think the navigation is about as intuitive as it could be without changing the core behavior of Android 10's gestures. I understand why Microsoft probably had to implement the behavior, since performing the home gesture on the top screen would interfere with the gesture to move apps between the displays, for example. This means the back gesture requires swiping from the top or bottom of the display when the Duo is rotated. Unlike most phones, the navigation doesn't rotate when you rotate the phone, so the pill will stay in its original position. It takes a little while to get used to, especially if you like to swipe left and right on the navigation pill to switch between apps on stock Android. Dragging the navigation pill allows you to move the selected application across screens, and dragging the app into the center of the Duo will stretch the app to fill both displays. Each screen has its own navigation, so you don't need to worry about checking which app is active before going home or back, like you do with standard multi-window on Android. The Surface Duo sticks close to Android 10's gesture navigation: swipe up from the bottom to go home, and swipe from the left or right to go back. ![]() Microsoft Launcher is the default home screen, Edge is the web browser, SwiftKey is the keyboard, and so on. While you do get the standard package of Google apps, Microsoft has replaced some of the defaults with its own products. Notifications have larger buttons, and there's a Microsoft section in the Settings, but most of the modifications are related to dual-screen operation. If you were hoping for a revival of Windows Phone, you'll be disappointed - the Surface Duo sticks very close to stock Android. I was curious to see what functional or visual changes Microsoft would make to the Android operating system to merge it with the company's Fluent design language. The primary speaker is located above the left display, and while it can become loud at full volume, it still sounds as tinny as the speakers in most flagship smartphones. This awkward design led to me temporarily blinding myself a few times by turning the flash on before flipping the phone around. The Surface Duo only has one camera, so when you want to take rear photos, you fold the phone in half and point the side with the camera away from you. I didn't even have a Surface Pen to test with, but the Duo did work with my old Wacom Bamboo Ink stylus.Ībove the right screen are the speaker, 11MP camera, and flash. It seems ridiculous that Microsoft couldn't include a stylus in the box for the $1,399 asking price. The screens offer good colors and decent brightness, and you can use any Surface Pen as a stylus (the Slim Pen will fit best). ![]() The sizeable bezels look out of place on a 2020 phone, but they didn't bother me in regular use. Once you open the phone, you're greeted by two 1800x1350 AMOLED screens. There are bugs, some features are missing, and most people should wait for the Duo 2. It's Microsoft's first Android device ever, and it's the company's first smartphone since the implosion of Windows 10 Mobile.This is a unique product, and while it (mostly) succeeds at its goal of being a mobile productivity station, it's still ultimately a first-generation device. Samsung has released several foldable phones, LG is developing a dual-screen device, and now Microsoft has the Surface Duo.The Surface Duo is the first Android device with two integrated displays since the Kyocera Echo and Sony Tablet P, but it's more than just a side project by an existing Android phone maker. This has sent some manufacturers to go back to the drawing board in search of something more radical and exciting. Just like how a desktop PC from eight years ago can still handle basic productivity tasks in 2020, a flagship smartphone from two or three years ago isn't radically different from what you can buy today, and there’s only so much room for innovation in the flat glass slab form factor. Over the past few years, smartphones have stopped evolving at a rapid pace and settled into iterative, yawn-inducing update cycles. ![]()
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