As Apple prepares to unveil its new iPhone 12 lineup next month, Microsoft has decided to keep up and
Microsoft Surface Duo
Foreign bloggers have already tested severalfoldable smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, so it was interesting for them to take a look at the Surface Duo as well, because foldable smartphones offer interesting new technologies that we may eventually see from Apple.
Unlike the Galaxy Fold, which offers onefoldable display with hinge-covering display technology, Microsoft has adopted a foldable design with two separate screens connected by a visible hinge, which makes sense because Microsoft's Surface Duo won't have the fold issues seen on Samsung devices.
Surface Duo is well made, the hinge design wasgiven a lot of attention, which is not surprising given the price. The Surface Duo and the hinge are of high quality and it is a foldable smartphone that resembles a futuristic premium device. Even with two 5.6 "screens (8.1" combined), the Surface Duo is surprisingly thin, but the hinge still stands out.
Microsoft did a good job on build qualitySurface Duo, but the design of the device — the best part of it is because the software is not up to par. Microsoft uses Android software developed by Google, and the lack of integration between hardware and software makes the user experience difficult and feels unfinished.
Surface Duo running versionAndroid 10 with skin from Microsoft. It offers Android 10 features and some add-ons designed by Microsoft for the dual screen, but the operating system doesn't seem to be optimized for that dual screen form factor. Microsoft and Google can of course improve the software over time with updates, but at the time of release it's not perfect.
Despite the bad software,The Surface Duo offers some notable performance benefits. Certain apps can be configured to run at the same time as groups of apps, so you can combine OneNote and Outlook, web browser and YouTube, and more, perfect for multitasking. Although some applications can also be opened in both screens to perform actions such as writing an email on one screen, and viewing your inbox on the other. However, this feature is not optimized for all applications, which is a serious drawback.
There are several modes for using Surface Duo.Book mode, as the name suggests, — This is when both screens open like a book. Single Screen mode lets you flip one screen after another for a more traditional smartphone feel, while Compose mode lets you rotate the Surface Duo into a laptop clamshell orientation. There is also a tent mode with two sides positioned downwards in a tent shape for viewing media content.
In most cases, single screen mode, inwhere one display sits on top of the other seems to be the most convenient because most people won't want to take pictures or chat with someone using a book-like form factor, but it can be useful to be able to unfold another screen to get the job done.
In terms of specs, Surface Duo usestechnology from a year ago with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip and it's limited to an 11MP camera, which just isn't impressive when all the other smartphone makers are focusing on camera quality. It also has thick bezels that smartphone makers have long abandoned.
Overall, Surface Duo brings innovation to thesmartphones, and we're curious to see where Microsoft's technology will evolve in the future, but given the $ 1,400 price tag, software issues, and overall usability, this device isn't suitable for most people and not what we'd recommend.
There were rumors that Apple was studying a foldingiPhone and has filed several patents for foldable smartphone technology, but it is still unclear if this technology is implemented and if Apple's foldable iPhone will ever come out. We don't know when Apple might release a foldable iPhone, if it really is in development, but it definitely won't appear in the near future.