Surface Duo: Microsoft folding smartphone with Android costs $ 1,399

Microsoft surface duo

For the time being, Microsoft is calling the date and price of the Surface Duo folding smartphone in a blog post in the tech community: The market launch is to take place on 10 September at prices starting from 1,399 US dollars before taxes. The duo relies on Android, the Neo with Windows 10 X is delayed.

Microsoft Surface Duo arrives on September 10th for $1,399

Details of the technical key data and available variants as well as their prices remain Microsoft in the contribution still not to exclude that it was published earlier than planned and the final presentation of the duo still to be. Even if the duo relies on Android and not Microsoft’s new Windows 10 X, the company had so far aggressively advertised the device like the displaced Surface Neo.

Officially, no technical data on the Surface Duo is yet known, but Windows Central had already experienced credible key data in May. However, a final confirmation of the specifications is still pending.

Technical key data

According to the report, last year’s Top-Soc from Qualcomm is hidden under the hood with the Snapdragon 855. The reason for the abandonment of the Snapdragon 865 (benchmarks), the current flagship, is the mandatory bundling of the processor with a separate 5G modem. The Soc can only receive the new standard with an additional modem, which does not fit into the previously developed layout of the Surface Duo. The Snapdragon 855 has 6 GB of RAM and optionally 64 or 256 GB of internal flash memory, an expansion via microSD is not possible.

One camera for front and back

The main camera should offer a resolution of 11 megapixels, an aperture of f/2.0 and a pixel size (edge length) of 1.12 µm. It is located in the edge of the right display and is used for selfies as well as classic recording. According to Windows Central, the quality is suitable for everyday use, but not comparable to the iPhone or Google Pixel.

Microsoft Surface Duo foldable with Android

The battery has a nominal charge of 3,460 mAh, which suggests daily charging due to the two displays. Power is supplied via USB Type-C. On the other hand, wireless charging is not part of the test equipment from which the data mentioned in the report originate. In addition, the prototypes do not have NFC, so contactless payments via Google Pay, for example, would not be possible. Whether the sales versions also do without it, is currently not yet clear. Likewise, nothing is known about a possible IP certification for protection against dust and water.

Twice 5.6 or once 8.1 inch

The two AMOLED screens of the Surface Duo each measure 5.6 inches at an aspect ratio of 4:3 and a resolution of 1,800 1,350 pixels - the diagonal confirmed Microsoft in the blog post. When opened, this results in a diagonal of 8.1 inches (Windows Central had spoken of 8.3 inches). In addition to finger input, the duo can also be controlled with the Surface Pen, which Microsoft offers as an accessory from Surface Pro, Book or Laptop. In February, Microsoft released a preview of the SDK for the dual display, allowing developers to customize their apps.

The Surface Neo with Windows 10X will be released in 2021

The Surface Neo with Windows 10X will not bring Microsoft to the market as previously planned this year. Instead, the company wants to focus on Windows 10X devices with just one screen.

With the Surface Neo, both displays are 9.0 inches in size, unfolded results in a broken display with just under 13 inches. Both sides of the Surface Neo are 5.6 mm thin.Microsoft spoke at the launch last October of the thinnest LCD that currently exists. The Surface Neo is lightweight without the magnetically dockable keyboard and the Surface Pen 655 grams.

Now the show has also taken place via the usual channels and Microsoft Germany makes clear: For the time being, the Surface Duo is only available in the USA, where it can be pre-ordered from now on. Microsoft does not yet mention a date for other countries, not even a rough one.

The technical key data previously known only under hand are confirmed and the Group provides further details.

The two 5.6-inch AMOLED displays dissolve with 1,800 1,350 pixels in 4:3 format at 401 ppi, resulting in a total of 1,800 2,700 pixels in 3:2 format. The display is protected with Gorilla glass.With 3,577 mAh, the two batteries are slightly larger in total than it was previously reported. Microsoft cites up to 15.5 hours of local video playback, up to 27 hours of talk time and 10 days of standby.

Microsoft offers two variants for the time being, they differ in the UFS3 flash memory: 

There is a model with 128 GB and one with 256 GB. 6 GB of RAM and the Snapdragon 855 as well as WLAN-ac and LTE both offer.SIM cards can be used as eSIM or in nano format.