There are no bad products, only bad prices. The latter half of that statement applies here, but this is a new thing (ignoring the Nintendo DS and several other similar tech gadgets) and is a niche which makes the cost vaguely excusable for those that really badly want it.
I had a rough reaction to the price, but I think I agree with you on this one. It is unique and first gen. They won't sell that many of them and if it does well in the limited market they are looking at, they will bring the price down in the future. This definitely isn't for me though.
In the PC space, Microsoft doesn't want to piss off their hardware partners; hence the lack of aggressive pricing. They have no such limitations in the phone space. I could see this being used by businesses and getting steep discounts for their white collar workers.
I can't imagine many white collar workers craving for a device with 2 huge screens and a 3577mAh battery. Assuming I was in the market for this form factor I could live with older WiFi or not the latest SoC. But that battery makes it useless.
At best they want to set some baselines for other OEMs/partners for what a future device might look like. Same with the Surface line which may be less about selling and more about being a generic goal for others.
i guess the next version will be 2mm thicker to accommodate a higher capacity battery. Considering 4.8mm on each side. What is 2mm to the overall thickness ?. In all, I think the 4:3 and 3:2 aspect ratios are coming back. Thats a good thing.
Not yet... but there were few good Surface-like tablet devices before MS too. The whole Surface lineup is created to get 3rd party partners to look at new form factors and spaces. I could see this being a model for others to potentially follow... maybe.
There is a lot to like here. The form factor is far more sensible than folding screens. You can automatically feel confident in the robustness of this design over those. Its also just a practical one for a mobile device that we've been missing for a long time. And if the software works half as well and as smoothly as they depict then that's great too.
But $1400 is a lot to ask for last year's SoC. No expandable storage. No WiFi 6.
Smart device makers have been pushing into this price range ever since Apple broke the $1k barrier and I'd be really interested in seeing just how many of these ultra high end mobile devices they sell. I have seen a grand total of 0 in the wild to date.
You're now in laptop territory and not cheap plastic Walmart laptop but ThinkPad and Macbook territory. So I start to expect different things, within reason of course.
At the end of the day, this is a first generation prototype. Like the other folding screens v3 or v6 in a few years might be a good value; for now it's something for people who have a need for something flashy and different and for hard core gadget geeks who want to fiddle around the bleeding edge of practicality.
Being niche doesnt give the excuse to vastly overprice a device unless there is also demand for such device. A first gen device wont have that demand. Especially with so many hardware shortcomings.
I mean small battery, last gen processor, no expandable storage, no wi fi 6, no headphone jack (despite being a very large device), running android instead of windows (especially with android 11 clamping down on storage capabilities of apps). Too many downsides, there are already tons of android phones out there with better processors and batteries from proven manufacturers.
You're making a good point until the end. The list of 'proven manufacturers' for Android is vanishingly small now. Samsung. Nokia? The pre-Chinese era makers are gone or dodgy (LG, HTC, Moto) and the Chinese makers are not proven and are looking worse. Regardless of whether you trust Huawei, you can't count on them providing Android or new phones reliably, right? Not their fault, maybe, but there it is.
Microsoft is one of the largest, most successful companies in the world with a decent hardware business and they qualify as 'proven' more than most. $1400 is a stretch even for a 'concept' phone, but at least they are a reliable, proven vendor.
The Chinese makers are proven but I would pay extra for a well supported MS device. I am due a new phone and the choice is far from easy. I tried Apple who have lovely hardware but apps are either missing or I will need to buy them again. The obvious choice of Huawei is caught up in the trade war. Samsung offer full Your Phone support but their recent flagships have weird specs and terrible user reviews. That leaves Xiaomi and Oppo but they only offer phablets. In all likelihood I will get something like a P30 as a stopgap until there is a good option.
I disagree. Motorola has made good dependable low and midrange phones for years. Their high end is more hit or miss, but their E, G, and X lines are good, so is the Z line.
LG has had a rocky past, but the V60 shows a lot of promise. If their design decisions trickle down into midrange designs, LG may have another shot.
Samsung obviously, and their market share is HUGE.
Nokia makes some good phones as well, just not high end ones.
Really HTC is the only shaky phone maker. I dont count the chinese phones because gray market imports are a no-go for me in the first place.
The point here is that MS has repeatedly dropped the ball on windows phone. Their ARM surfaces went without support for years now. If you buy a android phone froma current phone maker, you can expect it to work for 5+ years without issue. MS? Well, the Duo is a unique design, who knows what software bugs will creep up when MS pulls a google and looses interest. Same for the battery, many high end and midrang ephones you can get the batteries replaced, a low selling surface device not so much. Replacement batteries for the lumia 950s were nearly impossible to find, and those were removable FFS!
Agreeing with you. This is the price of Samsung's flagship phone and of course doesn't provide the same in camera or speed but addresses a totally different audience anyway. I think the price is just right.
Half expected though. Every 1st gen Surface device has been insanely priced for what it is, and by the 3rd gen the features have either risen to meet the price, or the price has come down to meet what the product really does. I really like this idea though! I had an unreasonable love for my old Windows Phones, and would not mind trying out their flavor of Android... just not for over $1000. I don't spend more than $400 for phones these days (typically 1-2 year old flagships), so this will need to drop to the $6-800 range before it gets my interest.
I think that it would annoy me too much. Every time I went to watch a movie or view a photo, I would look at the two screens and curse the fact they were totally separate and that I only had half the usable screen real estate of the whole device. I'd rather have a nice little hardware keyboard occupying that space.
But you can watch a movie while checking the scores, you can set it up in 'tent mode' to watch a movie or take a time picture, you can finally make sense of split screen mode, you can do an action game with touch controls off the main screen.
I don't think I would want to carry an Android phone and then a Surface Duo because of the redundancy of the two and the limited additional capabilities the Duo currently appears to offer. Were it a Windows-based laptop in a similar size with a small, but tap-friendly keyboard then maybe it would be a little more compelling from the perspective of giving me different capabilities than I already have in a phone. Something like one of those GPD Micro PCs would be very much worth keeping track of an additional device.
Granted that's a personal opinion and I don't have a clear sense of what else a Duo might be used for aside from overlapping with any other Android phone or tablet. Someone else would most certainly argue there is a use case for it and if that works for them, then they should go for it if their budget permits the purchase. I'll stick to using a 11.6 inch screen laptop and my existing phone for the time being.
I don't think a SOC from 2018 is the problem you think it is. Then again, I'm still using an s8 very happily. It's the price that makes that CPU look bad.
Agreed. SD855 is still a very capable CPU. 20-25% less powerful then 865 but I don't think that would lead to any lag using the phone. People hear last gen CPU and they dismiss it automatically ignoring the much more important thing- it's a foldable phone which (hopefully) will be done right in terms of hardware and UI experience. I just hope that it will follow the success of Surface line and won't get canned for some random reason. So many large companies have done that.
Those aren't high resolution screens at all, combined the screens only have 12% more pixels than the galaxy s10 which used the same soc. The gpu is more than adequate to drive more screens, the battery on the other hand... good luck lol
For me, seeing as I love my Huawei Mate 20 x, I simply couldn't justify the Duo's price. Why not? The camera. I use my Mate 20 x for the camera, leaving the Nikon at home gathering a bit of dust. The duo, other than two screens, gives me absolutely NOTHING when compared to the 20 x. The price is just stupid, as it is for the Samsung note 20 or S20 ultra.
These companies are laughing all the way to the bank.
P.s. I'll buy a Duo, from eBay, when they hit £450 in seven months time.
"Pete Kyriacou, VP, Microsoft Devices has just announced that Surface Duo will be released in Canada, United Kingdom, France and Germany in “early 2021,” though the company plans to share more information next year."
I posted in August. Still time for my original post to come true!
This is the same company that couldnt figure out how to support windows phone 6, 6.1, 7, 7.1, 8, 8.1, or 10 without breaking compatibility. Microsoft has a very poor track record with non desktop or server windows.
Given android's locking down of storage and app permissions, the lack of call recording, ece there is a huge hole in the market for the return of windows phone with more power user customizeability.
For $1399 it needs a Snapdragon 865 + 8GB of ram and Wifi AX battery also needs to be 4000+maH minimum. With how its currently configured I would pay $1000 for it. And 50 grams lighter wouldn't hurt :)
Large but very thin body. I don't know if the batteries are split in two, one beneath each screen, or if one side has all the cells. They could have made a slightly thicker device with a huge 5000 or 6000 mAh battery pack.
Not sure what Microsoft is thinking here. Either this bombs terribly as a productivity device and Microsoft loses both face and money, or it works and people start to take Chrome Book seriously and move away from Windows.
People do take Chromebooks seriously, much to the dismay of cybersecurity folks and data privacy advocates that understand what Google is doing behind their backs.
I've seen a dual-battery device run at 6.4V at less mAh, so it looked bad on paper, but it actually had twice the watt-hours, so I'd like to make sure on that point before making a decision. If it's only 13 Wh, that's not a lot.
Then again, the entire Surface Book display (or "clipboard") has only 19 Wh, so maybe that's what they're used to putting into a device of this thinness.
$1400 brick. Only sheep and fools are going to buy this trash.
What does it have ? no 3.5mm jack, no sd card and 3500mah with SD855 processor. This garbage should be wiped from existence.
Damn, nothing is compelling about this product. Don't waste money on this trash. Get an LG V60 which can do this with a latest processor and has a better battery, has Wacom Stylus support, has a 3.5mm jack with SD slot too and not just that it can take much better pictures and has solid pro audio and video capabilities.
This garbage also has sealed battery for what ? to throw it in a garbage dumpster after 1 year &Just because it folds ? how about First Party Android app support for that ? None, all of them are blown up UI, Google shamelessly and recklessly abandoned Android tablet and started chasing stupid Google Chrome OS and flopped harder than anything with Pixel Slate and other trash, now they don't have proper app support for Chrome OS until 2020 with all that hooplah of the Crouton and etc garbage. Talk about zero focus. Pixel is a doomed division failing hard and Surface seems to chug along because of the Windows only.
Panos Panay is a fool and they gave Windows development to this idiot, Windows10 looks horrendous due to it's hybrid BS of tablet and desktop UX in same without a choice. M$ ofc doesn't care as long as their Windows Enterprise customers bend over for that WaaS unstable garbage. But with Home and Pro even worse after 6 months new update with new bugs and breaking Desktop Composer too.
And for this money one can build a brand new Ryzen beast, horrible pricing for such an inferior product in terms of both HW and Software, made by idiotic fools at MS who got into that company probably because of higher PR speak big mouth and some virtue signalling.
I'm sorry, $1400 for a last gen processor and a device with two large screens and only 3500MaH of battery between them?
Neat form factor, shame about, well, all the bones underneath the pretty skin. And MicroSoft's terrible support history with ARM windows devices, windows phone 7, 8, 10, and the ARM surface devices like the surface 1 and 2.
Great concept at a crazy price point. I really like the form factor. So, I hope some of the usual suspects (Xiaomi comes to mind) are inspired by it and come out with a similar product, maybe with a more modern SoC, all at half the price.
I haven't been following this product at all. For $1400 I thought it'd have some previously-unknown x86 SoC and be running Windows 10.
I honestly wish they'd make a phone that ran full-Windows. Have a "phone" type default application that loads for accessibility to common phone functions, but leave the rest to Windows. Give it a stylus, foldable with a keyboard. Maybe have it usable as a basic phone (answering calls, checking messages, etc) without opening it for ease of use...
Someone make this and I will buy it (once it's two years old and is somewhat affordable).
Can this device be used by 2 persons separately, each to their own screen? If not, what’s the need for the other screen that’s facing away from the user? Either way, it’s a terrible design, not to mention the outrageous price tag.
Let's say that you're watching a film, with your friend wishing to chat with you. With this, you can do both without side-by side reducing the app/task to a small side of the same screen.
(Multiple Screens vs Folding Screens) vs (Multiple devices) This device edges ever closer to the dream of using one device that can morph from a smartphone in my pocket, to a tablet in my hands to a computer on my lap or desk. I wish this was just one screen but the current technology for folding screens is still not convincing. We are just getting to a place where we got the tablet/laptop 2in1 working well. Merging touch and pen interface with a mouse and keyboard interface is still not perfect but that is easier compared to having something that functions well as a smartphone and tablet because while we carry both the tablet and the laptop in a bag, carry the smartphone in our pockets. The beauty of having one device with multiple functionality is the synergy in software. With multiple devices I have to worry about compatibility and ecosystems. More than the device form factor is the begining of hopefully better compatibility between Android and Windows, Google and Microsoft. It is a breath of fresh air seeing such collaborations. We still have to endure using multiple devices that can be on different ecosystems for the near future so it is good to be able to transition between devices seamlessly. I'd love Google to incorporate most if not all the software features here not just for duo screen phones but also for tablets with one screen on split screen mode.
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PeachNCream - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
There are no bad products, only bad prices. The latter half of that statement applies here, but this is a new thing (ignoring the Nintendo DS and several other similar tech gadgets) and is a niche which makes the cost vaguely excusable for those that really badly want it.ingwe - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I had a rough reaction to the price, but I think I agree with you on this one. It is unique and first gen. They won't sell that many of them and if it does well in the limited market they are looking at, they will bring the price down in the future. This definitely isn't for me though.DigitalFreak - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Don't count on new versions being cheaper. That doesn't happen with the rest of the Surface device line.GiantPandaMan - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
In the PC space, Microsoft doesn't want to piss off their hardware partners; hence the lack of aggressive pricing. They have no such limitations in the phone space. I could see this being used by businesses and getting steep discounts for their white collar workers.close - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
I can't imagine many white collar workers craving for a device with 2 huge screens and a 3577mAh battery. Assuming I was in the market for this form factor I could live with older WiFi or not the latest SoC. But that battery makes it useless.At best they want to set some baselines for other OEMs/partners for what a future device might look like. Same with the Surface line which may be less about selling and more about being a generic goal for others.
GiantPandaMan - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
Yeah, the battery is the weak point. Practicality sacrificed on the alter of thinness yet agani.fteoath64 - Sunday, August 16, 2020 - link
i guess the next version will be 2mm thicker to accommodate a higher capacity battery. Considering 4.8mm on each side. What is 2mm to the overall thickness ?. In all, I think the 4:3 and 3:2 aspect ratios are coming back. Thats a good thing.CaedenV - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
Not yet... but there were few good Surface-like tablet devices before MS too. The whole Surface lineup is created to get 3rd party partners to look at new form factors and spaces. I could see this being a model for others to potentially follow... maybe.zmatt - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Agreed.There is a lot to like here. The form factor is far more sensible than folding screens. You can automatically feel confident in the robustness of this design over those. Its also just a practical one for a mobile device that we've been missing for a long time. And if the software works half as well and as smoothly as they depict then that's great too.
But $1400 is a lot to ask for last year's SoC. No expandable storage. No WiFi 6.
Smart device makers have been pushing into this price range ever since Apple broke the $1k barrier and I'd be really interested in seeing just how many of these ultra high end mobile devices they sell. I have seen a grand total of 0 in the wild to date.
You're now in laptop territory and not cheap plastic Walmart laptop but ThinkPad and Macbook territory. So I start to expect different things, within reason of course.
DanNeely - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
At the end of the day, this is a first generation prototype. Like the other folding screens v3 or v6 in a few years might be a good value; for now it's something for people who have a need for something flashy and different and for hard core gadget geeks who want to fiddle around the bleeding edge of practicality.TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Being niche doesnt give the excuse to vastly overprice a device unless there is also demand for such device. A first gen device wont have that demand. Especially with so many hardware shortcomings.I mean small battery, last gen processor, no expandable storage, no wi fi 6, no headphone jack (despite being a very large device), running android instead of windows (especially with android 11 clamping down on storage capabilities of apps). Too many downsides, there are already tons of android phones out there with better processors and batteries from proven manufacturers.
nico_mach - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
You're making a good point until the end. The list of 'proven manufacturers' for Android is vanishingly small now. Samsung. Nokia? The pre-Chinese era makers are gone or dodgy (LG, HTC, Moto) and the Chinese makers are not proven and are looking worse. Regardless of whether you trust Huawei, you can't count on them providing Android or new phones reliably, right? Not their fault, maybe, but there it is.Microsoft is one of the largest, most successful companies in the world with a decent hardware business and they qualify as 'proven' more than most. $1400 is a stretch even for a 'concept' phone, but at least they are a reliable, proven vendor.
BedfordTim - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
The Chinese makers are proven but I would pay extra for a well supported MS device.I am due a new phone and the choice is far from easy.
I tried Apple who have lovely hardware but apps are either missing or I will need to buy them again.
The obvious choice of Huawei is caught up in the trade war.
Samsung offer full Your Phone support but their recent flagships have weird specs and terrible user reviews.
That leaves Xiaomi and Oppo but they only offer phablets.
In all likelihood I will get something like a P30 as a stopgap until there is a good option.
TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
I disagree. Motorola has made good dependable low and midrange phones for years. Their high end is more hit or miss, but their E, G, and X lines are good, so is the Z line.LG has had a rocky past, but the V60 shows a lot of promise. If their design decisions trickle down into midrange designs, LG may have another shot.
Samsung obviously, and their market share is HUGE.
Nokia makes some good phones as well, just not high end ones.
Really HTC is the only shaky phone maker. I dont count the chinese phones because gray market imports are a no-go for me in the first place.
The point here is that MS has repeatedly dropped the ball on windows phone. Their ARM surfaces went without support for years now. If you buy a android phone froma current phone maker, you can expect it to work for 5+ years without issue. MS? Well, the Duo is a unique design, who knows what software bugs will creep up when MS pulls a google and looses interest. Same for the battery, many high end and midrang ephones you can get the batteries replaced, a low selling surface device not so much. Replacement batteries for the lumia 950s were nearly impossible to find, and those were removable FFS!
hansmuff - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Agreeing with you. This is the price of Samsung's flagship phone and of course doesn't provide the same in camera or speed but addresses a totally different audience anyway. I think the price is just right.I kind of like this thing.
YB1064 - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
The list price is insane. Worth about 500 bucks tops and only if it comes with a backpack.CaedenV - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
Half expected though. Every 1st gen Surface device has been insanely priced for what it is, and by the 3rd gen the features have either risen to meet the price, or the price has come down to meet what the product really does.I really like this idea though! I had an unreasonable love for my old Windows Phones, and would not mind trying out their flavor of Android... just not for over $1000. I don't spend more than $400 for phones these days (typically 1-2 year old flagships), so this will need to drop to the $6-800 range before it gets my interest.
thetrashcanisfull - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Other features: it foldslol
drexnx - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
gonna post exactly this.lol.
Spunjji - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
It's a nice touchvol.2 - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I think that it would annoy me too much. Every time I went to watch a movie or view a photo, I would look at the two screens and curse the fact they were totally separate and that I only had half the usable screen real estate of the whole device. I'd rather have a nice little hardware keyboard occupying that space.nico_mach - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
But you can watch a movie while checking the scores, you can set it up in 'tent mode' to watch a movie or take a time picture, you can finally make sense of split screen mode, you can do an action game with touch controls off the main screen.It's certainly not for everyone though.
sonny73n - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
Lame!eek2121 - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
This is a compelling product, just not for the use case most people think. I could see myself carrying this around in addition to my phone.ikjadoon - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
If I want a portable productivity device, I'm not buying an 8" Android phablet. Extra-hard no if it costs me $1399.PeachNCream - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
I don't think I would want to carry an Android phone and then a Surface Duo because of the redundancy of the two and the limited additional capabilities the Duo currently appears to offer. Were it a Windows-based laptop in a similar size with a small, but tap-friendly keyboard then maybe it would be a little more compelling from the perspective of giving me different capabilities than I already have in a phone. Something like one of those GPD Micro PCs would be very much worth keeping track of an additional device.Granted that's a personal opinion and I don't have a clear sense of what else a Duo might be used for aside from overlapping with any other Android phone or tablet. Someone else would most certainly argue there is a use case for it and if that works for them, then they should go for it if their budget permits the purchase. I'll stick to using a 11.6 inch screen laptop and my existing phone for the time being.
ikjadoon - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Microsoft, asking $1399: "We love multitasking so much, we'll power two high-resolution screens with an SoC released in late 2018".Microsoft has easily become Hooli of our time: overpriced, corporate-tier, half-baked hardware backed by a congealed mass of disconnected, software.
And people thought Panos Panay was going to save Windows & Devices. 😂
nico_mach - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I don't think a SOC from 2018 is the problem you think it is. Then again, I'm still using an s8 very happily. It's the price that makes that CPU look bad.julianb - Friday, August 14, 2020 - link
Agreed. SD855 is still a very capable CPU. 20-25% less powerful then 865 but I don't think that would lead to any lag using the phone. People hear last gen CPU and they dismiss it automatically ignoring the much more important thing- it's a foldable phone which (hopefully) will be done right in terms of hardware and UI experience.I just hope that it will follow the success of Surface line and won't get canned for some random reason. So many large companies have done that.
shabby - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Those aren't high resolution screens at all, combined the screens only have 12% more pixels than the galaxy s10 which used the same soc. The gpu is more than adequate to drive more screens, the battery on the other hand... good luck lolshabby - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
more=thoseshabby - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Where the fudge is the edit button? What year is this? Are we back in the bbs days?damianrobertjones - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
For me, seeing as I love my Huawei Mate 20 x, I simply couldn't justify the Duo's price. Why not? The camera. I use my Mate 20 x for the camera, leaving the Nikon at home gathering a bit of dust. The duo, other than two screens, gives me absolutely NOTHING when compared to the 20 x. The price is just stupid, as it is for the Samsung note 20 or S20 ultra.These companies are laughing all the way to the bank.
P.s. I'll buy a Duo, from eBay, when they hit £450 in seven months time.
BedfordTim - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
No you won't. It isn't on sale here.I had the same thought. I got my 950 that way for £130 and loved it.
damianrobertjones - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I bet I will! I mean, sure, it might never reach the U.K. but it really should."when they hit £450 in SEVEN months time." (On eBay)
damianrobertjones - Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - link
"Pete Kyriacou, VP, Microsoft Devices has just announced that Surface Duo will be released in Canada, United Kingdom, France and Germany in “early 2021,” though the company plans to share more information next year."I posted in August. Still time for my original post to come true!
damianrobertjones - Friday, February 12, 2021 - link
The U.K. release date is February 18th! STILL time for the £450 to become true.damianrobertjones - Friday, February 12, 2021 - link
The U.K. release date is February 18th! STILL time for the £450 to become true.Samus - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I'm not sure why it doesn't just run Windows 10 Arm. Is it that hard to make a phone app?TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
This is the same company that couldnt figure out how to support windows phone 6, 6.1, 7, 7.1, 8, 8.1, or 10 without breaking compatibility. Microsoft has a very poor track record with non desktop or server windows.Given android's locking down of storage and app permissions, the lack of call recording, ece there is a huge hole in the market for the return of windows phone with more power user customizeability.
nico_mach - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
You've got to let it go. No, it's not hard to make a phone app, it's hard to make a million phone apps.Makaveli - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
For $1399 it needs a Snapdragon 865 + 8GB of ram and Wifi AX battery also needs to be 4000+maH minimum. With how its currently configured I would pay $1000 for it. And 50 grams lighter wouldn't hurt :)TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Big batteries and lightness dont go together.The $250 moto g power has a 5000 mah battery. There is no reasn the Duo should have one smaller then the moto with such a large body to work with.
serendip - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Large but very thin body. I don't know if the batteries are split in two, one beneath each screen, or if one side has all the cells. They could have made a slightly thicker device with a huge 5000 or 6000 mAh battery pack.wr3zzz - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Not sure what Microsoft is thinking here. Either this bombs terribly as a productivity device and Microsoft loses both face and money, or it works and people start to take Chrome Book seriously and move away from Windows.PeachNCream - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
People do take Chromebooks seriously, much to the dismay of cybersecurity folks and data privacy advocates that understand what Google is doing behind their backs.mobutu - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
So we have 5-6000 mAh batteries in smaller devices and ms thought puting only 3500 mAh in these?Pathetic
mkozakewich - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I've seen a dual-battery device run at 6.4V at less mAh, so it looked bad on paper, but it actually had twice the watt-hours, so I'd like to make sure on that point before making a decision. If it's only 13 Wh, that's not a lot.Then again, the entire Surface Book display (or "clipboard") has only 19 Wh, so maybe that's what they're used to putting into a device of this thinness.
Quantumz0d - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
$1400 brick. Only sheep and fools are going to buy this trash.What does it have ? no 3.5mm jack, no sd card and 3500mah with SD855 processor. This garbage should be wiped from existence.
Damn, nothing is compelling about this product. Don't waste money on this trash. Get an LG V60 which can do this with a latest processor and has a better battery, has Wacom Stylus support, has a 3.5mm jack with SD slot too and not just that it can take much better pictures and has solid pro audio and video capabilities.
This garbage also has sealed battery for what ? to throw it in a garbage dumpster after 1 year &Just because it folds ? how about First Party Android app support for that ? None, all of them are blown up UI, Google shamelessly and recklessly abandoned Android tablet and started chasing stupid Google Chrome OS and flopped harder than anything with Pixel Slate and other trash, now they don't have proper app support for Chrome OS until 2020 with all that hooplah of the Crouton and etc garbage. Talk about zero focus. Pixel is a doomed division failing hard and Surface seems to chug along because of the Windows only.
Panos Panay is a fool and they gave Windows development to this idiot, Windows10 looks horrendous due to it's hybrid BS of tablet and desktop UX in same without a choice. M$ ofc doesn't care as long as their Windows Enterprise customers bend over for that WaaS unstable garbage. But with Home and Pro even worse after 6 months new update with new bugs and breaking Desktop Composer too.
Quantumz0d - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
And for this money one can build a brand new Ryzen beast, horrible pricing for such an inferior product in terms of both HW and Software, made by idiotic fools at MS who got into that company probably because of higher PR speak big mouth and some virtue signalling.TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I'm sorry, $1400 for a last gen processor and a device with two large screens and only 3500MaH of battery between them?Neat form factor, shame about, well, all the bones underneath the pretty skin. And MicroSoft's terrible support history with ARM windows devices, windows phone 7, 8, 10, and the ARM surface devices like the surface 1 and 2.
brucethemoose - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Maybe it was massively delayed?This really looks like a product that should've dropped last summer, not this one.
jrs77 - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Biggest problem of this device for me is not the pricetag but the OS.Makaveli - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
What other OS options do they have?jrs77 - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
I personally was actually quite happy with my Windows Phone, so I would've like to see them go from there.eastcoast_pete - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Great concept at a crazy price point. I really like the form factor. So, I hope some of the usual suspects (Xiaomi comes to mind) are inspired by it and come out with a similar product, maybe with a more modern SoC, all at half the price.Vitor - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Bulky, outdated soc, small battery for its size and 1399? dafuq Microsoft, that will be a massive failure.Vitor - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Seriously, this product actually triggered some anxiety. I cant believe they will release a product with so many glaring flaws for that price.edzieba - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Courier lives!damianrobertjones - Tuesday, August 18, 2020 - link
Courier lived, once upon a time: Toshiba W100.ozzuneoj86 - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I haven't been following this product at all. For $1400 I thought it'd have some previously-unknown x86 SoC and be running Windows 10.I honestly wish they'd make a phone that ran full-Windows. Have a "phone" type default application that loads for accessibility to common phone functions, but leave the rest to Windows. Give it a stylus, foldable with a keyboard. Maybe have it usable as a basic phone (answering calls, checking messages, etc) without opening it for ease of use...
Someone make this and I will buy it (once it's two years old and is somewhat affordable).
damianrobertjones - Tuesday, August 18, 2020 - link
Not many 'standard' consumers would buy it and the press would destroy it.sharathc - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Very interesting part of the article was,"Other features: It folds"
😄
sonny73n - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
Can this device be used by 2 persons separately, each to their own screen? If not, what’s the need for the other screen that’s facing away from the user? Either way, it’s a terrible design, not to mention the outrageous price tag.damianrobertjones - Tuesday, August 18, 2020 - link
Let's say that you're watching a film, with your friend wishing to chat with you. With this, you can do both without side-by side reducing the app/task to a small side of the same screen.Imagination is a wonderful thing.
wrkingclass_hero - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
I hope this flopps hard so I can get one for cheapdamianrobertjones - Tuesday, August 18, 2020 - link
I hope it sells which should mean that others will adopt the format and then we'll see top/middle/bottom of the range devices.Kevin G - Thursday, August 13, 2020 - link
So after a decade, the MS Courier is finally getting a release.Ah, another notch in MS's history of missed opportunities.
damianrobertjones - Tuesday, August 18, 2020 - link
It was released. Toshiba W100.KimGitz - Friday, August 14, 2020 - link
(Multiple Screens vs Folding Screens) vs (Multiple devices)This device edges ever closer to the dream of using one device that can morph from a smartphone in my pocket, to a tablet in my hands to a computer on my lap or desk.
I wish this was just one screen but the current technology for folding screens is still not convincing. We are just getting to a place where we got the tablet/laptop 2in1 working well. Merging touch and pen interface with a mouse and keyboard interface is still not perfect but that is easier compared to having something that functions well as a smartphone and tablet because while we carry both the tablet and the laptop in a bag, carry the smartphone in our pockets.
The beauty of having one device with multiple functionality is the synergy in software. With multiple devices I have to worry about compatibility and ecosystems. More than the device form factor is the begining of hopefully better compatibility between Android and Windows, Google and Microsoft. It is a breath of fresh air seeing such collaborations. We still have to endure using multiple devices that can be on different ecosystems for the near future so it is good to be able to transition between devices seamlessly.
I'd love Google to incorporate most if not all the software features here not just for duo screen phones but also for tablets with one screen on split screen mode.