Surface duo forum

Microsoft Takes Second Stab at Android with Surface Duo 2

There's no doubt that Microsoft's first attempt on an Android phablet was a disaster, not only as a device, but apparently also so in terms of the sales volume, since it was originally priced at an insane US$1,399.99. Even though it's retailing for a more sensible US$699.99 now, it doesn't seem to have made it much more popular. That didn't stop Microsoft from launching the Surface Duo 2 today and it looks like the company has learnt from some of its mistakes with the original device, but the question is if it'll be enough.

Feature wise, Microsoft has updated the displays and we're now looking at two slightly larger and higher resolution 5.8-inch displays with 1344x1892 resolution, that combine into an 8.3-inch surface with a 2688x1892 resolution, when combined. The displays are still using AMOLED technology, but now they're using a variable refresh rate of up to 90 Hz. The CPU has been given a bump to, from a Snapdragon 855 to a Snapdragon 888, while Microsoft also threw in an additional 2 GB of RAM for a total of 8 GB of the LPDDR5 flavour. The Surface Duo 2 still starts out with 128 GB of storage, but Microsoft added a 512 GB SKU in addition to the 256 GB SKU.

Microsoft has spent a lot of time on improving the camera, or rather cameras on the Surface Duo 2, as it now sports no less than three cameras. We're looking at a 12 Megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12 Megapixel 2x "telephoto" camera and a 16 Megapixel ultra-wide camera. The wide-angle and telephoto cameras have optical image stabilization and phase detection auto focus. HDR video and 4K60p recording is supported, as well as slow motion video at 120 or 240fps, although only at 1080p resolution. There's also a front-facing 12 Megapixel camera, but it's limited to 1080p30 video.

Other features include 5G connectivity and the US will get a mmWave version for Verizon, 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 (with aptX Classic, HD and TWS support) and a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port that supports fast charging from the supplied 23 W power adapter. DP Alt mode over the USB-C port is also part of the package and apparently 4K output is possible. Unsurprisingly the weight has increased slightly and you're now looking at 284 grams, which is still quite light, all things considered. The 4,449 mAh battery is said to be good for 28 hours of talk time or 15.5 hours of video playback. Microsoft is shipping the Surface Duo 2 with Android 11 with a custom skin, as well as a wealth of Microsoft applications ranging from Microsoft Teams to Outlook, Office and Xbox Game Pass.

Finally we have the issue that made the original Surface Duo so unattractive, the price. Unfortunately it looks like Microsoft hasn't learnt from the lesson of its first attempt, as the Surface Duo 2 starts at US$1,499.99 for the 128 GB variant, with the 256 GB and 512 GB variants coming in at US$1,599.99 and US$1,799.99 respectively. It's a lot of money for a device that isn't quite a phone, nor a tablet and that most people don't really need in the first place. It's also too costly for something that people would use to stream their Xbox games to, so even that audience isn't a likely customer. Maybe we'll see a big price drop in a few months again, as we did with the original Surface Duo.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

Sours: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/microsoft-takes-second-stab-at-android-with-surface-duo-2.287005/

The future arrived this week: Surface Duo

I got a pal in the US to buy it and courier it over to the UK. After an agonising week it arrived. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this since it was announced about a year ago.

Let’s face it, mobile phones have become tediously boring rectangular slabs with minimal innovation recently. It’s just become a megapixel game with little tweaks. Boring boring boring. When conferences were a thing, I attended Mobile World Congress every year and it was just a sea of black rectangles. At least Samsung are trying different things with their Fold, and there’s the Motorol Razr which doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere.

The above shows the BBC and Times apps simultaneously. I’d normally have Slack and Email, or Email and Calendar, or Google Docs and Sheets or Reddit and Youtube.

With the Duo, Microsoft have been thinking differently about how people use a pocketable device. For anyone what has used two monitors, and then tried to go back to just one, you’ll know what I mean. The Duo is just like that. Even though I’ve only been using it for a few days, when I went to use my Note10 again to get some login info for some apps, it just felt rather primitive. Two screens, designed specifically to allow you to do two things at once, is a game changer.

I remember when I had the first iPhones in the UK (I ran the tech delivery project for the iPhone for O2), and showed them to my close friends and family. It was so different to anything else it just made people re-evaluate what a phone was. Then, I got the gen 1 iPad. My pals thought I was mad. “What the hell are you going to do with that?” they said. Now they’ve all got one (or two). I feel the Duo is the same - a completely different way to do things. And, best of all, when you close it you’re saying “thanks very much, I’m done now, don’t bother me.” No attention seeking notifications saying “look at me, you’re missing something“. Thanks social media, I’m not interested now, I’ve closed you, bye.”

The build quality is stupendous. It’s one of those things you pick up and just hold and fiddle with because it’s so lovely. Everyone says it’s really thin. It is. It’s really really thin. And the wider aspect ratio of the screens is so much nicer than long, thin screens of many phones. Using Kindle for books when spanning both screens is eerily book-like. Plus of course, you can use one of the excellent Surface Pens with it, which works especially well with OneNote in spanned mode.

There’s been a lot of trashing of the software by well known reviewers, but I’ve had a different experience. With the latest beta launcher installed, it’s really very good for a 1st release. Let’s not forget that the original iPhone was the absolute worst performing cellular radio device we’d ever tested at O2. Or that my iPad Pro often freezes with everything upside down or that I’m on my 3rd sh*tty keyboard for it. Or the debacle of Macbook keys being so appalling you can’t type on them. Let’s get things in perspective.

Take a look at this review from someone who really gets it

And if you want to see some of the cool stuff you can do with it, check this out

Yes, it’s expensive, yes it’s got early software, but the great news is that the hardware is excellent, and the software can be improved. If you want a triple-lens camera, get something else. If you want NFC, get something else. But if you want a highly innovative and extremely useful experience that will change the way you use a portable device, this nails it.

Hopefully they’ll be in the UK soon - paying sales tax in the US then VAT on import to the UK plus courier charges is a bit of a bummer!

Sours: https://www.avforums.com/threads/the-future-arrived-this-week-surface-duo.2316069/

Is it possible to install sailfish on Surface Duo

As with all custom ROMs and ports to new devices, the question is always “Maybe.”

Given the price point of the Surface Duo, and its unique form factor, even if Sailfish is ported, it will not be as simple as plug-and-play. Support for various components and features requires drivers, and blobs are the primary method for that type of thing. Following that is support in the OS to take advantage of the device features.

The reason Sony was chosen for official support from Jolla is because of Sony’s willingness to make their devices more open for end users and developers, on a level that competing companies don’t quite do. They’re one of the few mainstream phone manufacturers doing this.

I rather doubt Microsoft is going to share that mindset for what seems like a flagship device with a high price and unique software support. This will be a community port, if it ever comes, and there won’t be any changes to Sailfish to properly use that hardware, especially when things like Silica are closed-source, and that’s one of the components that would need substantial tweaks to make it work with the Duo’s dual-screen form factor. Sailfish isn’t really built as that kind of multi-tasking OS (yet) so this isn’t practical anyway.

Consider checking the Devices subforum to see all the devices supported, both official and community.

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Sours: https://forum.sailfishos.org/t/is-it-possible-to-install-sailfish-on-surface-duo/5144

Microsoft's underwhelming, underpowered dual-screen Surface Duo phone arrives in the UK this month for £1,349

Re: My evil hauwai phone...

I have a 17" laptop, it fits snuggly into a basic thin rucksack (I have an old one someone gave me years ago that's made specifically for laptops, but the kids all have them nowadays for their Chromebooks, etc.).

Previously have taken a 17" laptop with me every day to work for about 10 years, but I bought my own since and that stays away from work, but it comes with me on the airplane as a carry-on with a ton of food shoved in the main pocket whenever I go on holiday, it comes with me to relative's houses (when not in lockdown), I take it camping, I take it on games nights etc.

17" is *not* a huge laptop. It's not heavy.

And, like the OP, I tether mine to my phone, which cost a fraction of this junk, has dual-SIM and an unlimited-4g-data SIM in it (£18 a month). I could also use the little Huawei 4G Wifi box I have in the laptop bag with a similar SIM, but I'm using my 2nd SIM to run my entire house Internet for the last three years.

This stuff is just over-priced junk. In a small rucksack, literally the kind of thing you could give a kid to take to school and nowhere near heavy, or bulky, or awkward, and a mid-range Samsung phone I basically can do anything from game online to work remotely to watch hours of movies on a plane.

Hell, when going abroad, I often shove my phone in the rucksack so that I can pass security and it stays in there offering out a private Wifi while I use the laptop to pass the time in the airport.

It's 2021. Phones that "do everything" are commodity. 17" laptops are the default. Gaming laptops can kick most people's PC's backsides.

Hell, apart from a couple of Raspberry Pi's offering services like TV NVR, I don't use any other PCs in my own home. Same laptop, same phone. The only difference is that at home I have a 4G SIM running the house wifi, but the phone is capable of the same (the reason I have two is that the phone is then able to connect back to my home wherever I am, and pick up my home TV recordings, movies, CCTV, etc.)

As the OP says, mid-range phone and a laptop, and you basically have everything you need.

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Sours: https://www.theregister.com/

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