![]() ![]() Microsoft has promised monthly updates for three years this time. I could drone on about bugs for several more paragraphs, but let's just say the phone needs some updates. The Surface Pen works with the Duo 2, but you won't find much reason to use it It's like someone had half of a good idea and then got sidetracked. Other than that, it just doesn't do much. Plugging in or unplugging the battery also shows a power gauge on the spine. If you press the power button, you get a tiny clock (admittedly, I like this), and you get indicators when new notifications arrive. However, the Glance Bar only lights up under specific circumstances. This would be a great feature if it was implemented better. When closed, the curved edges peek through in between the hinges where they can relay information. The screens have curved edges on the hinge side, making it a bit smoother to drag from one to the other. Ignoring the ratio and layout, the OLED panels are very good crisp and bright, even in low light. The Duo 2 is 4:3, which is always going to be less efficient. 22:9 in the case of the Flip3) ensures they still fit in your hand and pocket. The taller aspect ratio of modern phones (eg. ![]() The only reason we've been able to cope with 6.7, 6.8, and 6.9-inch phones is that it's a diagonal measurement. Width is the most important dimension when it comes to making a phone comfortable to use. It's just too big, and I say this as someone who likes the Z Fold3. The Duo 2 is so wide and flat that it's like walking with a small glass splint on your thigh. The Duo 2 fits, but it's not as unobtrusive as the Flip3. I moved from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 to the Duo 2, and that was a rude awakening when I had to leave the house and put the phone in my pocket. A traditional camera setup doesn't make sense on a device with such a distinctive form factor. There's really no comfortable way to hold this phone, with the possible exception of "like a book with both hands." In my opinion, the phone also looks much worse with the camera module, both folded and unfolded. Each half of the Duo 2 is 92mm wide, which is substantially more than even the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which is only 75mm across. The Duo 2 is already so wide that it stretches average-sized hands, and making the phone triangular worsens things. So, unlike last year's Duo, the Duo 2 doesn't close all the way when you want to use one screen. The Duo 2's camera module is wedge-shaped, allowing the folded-back screen to rest at an angle. We'll get to the functionality of these cameras later, but the physical design is awkward. Instead of just making that camera better, Microsoft has added a traditional triple camera to the back. Instead, you had to fold back one of the screens to use the selfie camera. Microsoft was rightly criticized for the poor camera performance on the first Duo, which didn't have a rear-facing shooter. The two halves are longer symmetrical thanks to the enormous camera module on the back. I'm sorry to say, Microsoft's redesigns for the Duo 2 have ruined one of the few things I really liked about the last phone. At least Microsoft has narrowed the gap between the screens themselves, which makes for a better spanning experience across both displays. That also means no headphone jack, a common shortcoming of modern smartphones. There are still sizeable bezels above and below the displays, but that's not surprising considering how thin the phone is-each half is only 5.5mm thick. The hinge allows you to set the Duo 2 up in several positions, which Microsoft calls "postures." You can set it on a table like a laptop, fold one side back for single-screen mode, prop it up like a tent, and so on. Both displays are inside, like the pages of a book when you open the phone. I would have preferred a matte glass body, but the new black color does look slick, and it's not as prone to smudging as I expected. It still has a smooth glass exterior with no screen, Surface logo emblazoned in the middle. Look at the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 from the front, and you might mistake it for the original Surface Duo. Shop at Best Buy Design, hardware, what's in the box ![]()
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