Tech
Huge leak shows off Microsoft Surface Duo 2
The alleged Surface Duo 2 could be the phone everyone expected last year with reportedly delivering flagship internals and more than one camera.
Microsoft came out of the gate swinging with the original Surface Duo. The foldable design put two large screens side-by-side for a tablet-like experience, and we thought the hinges were “sublime.” It was a good first attempt at making a foldable phone, but those big swings largely missed the mark.
Originally priced at $1,400, the Surface Duo plummeted to $600 earlier this year. However, the latest Surface Duo 2 leaks suggest the phone could launch soon, and it might fix a lot of what everyone disliked about the original.
Modern specs
The original Surface Duo’s steep price failed to deliver specs worthy of the considerable cost, packing a measly 6GB of RAM and a last-gen Snapdragon 855. That was unacceptable, but if the leaks are to be believed, the new Surface Duo 2 is bringing the heat.
Alleged benchmark scores for the Surface Duo 2.
GeekbenchFlagship Moves
The Duo 2 is rumored to come with the Snapdragon 888 and 8GB of RAM, which should help a lot with running apps side-by-side and improve the overall sluggish performance. The 888+ may have been a more fitting choice for a high-end phone like this, but the stock 888 is no slouch, either. The Duo 2 might also have 5G and NFC.
In the leaked Geekbench report, the Duo 2 is reportedly running Android 10. However, it could get updated to Android 12 when that becomes publicly available.
Triple cameras?
The biggest letdown in our review was the lack of an external camera. The original Surface Duo relied on a single selfie camera on the inside that could be used as a rear-facing one when folding the screen back. It was a clever, if not half-assed, way to get the most out of a single camera, but we expected more. We might get our wish!
3
The number of rear cameras the Duo 2 might have.
Leaked images from YouTuber Tech Rat show the Surface Duo 2 has a camera bump with three lenses. We haven’t seen images taken from the cameras, but it’s reported that the phone will have a standard, telephoto, and ultrawide lens.
No pricing or release yet
Unlike the avalanche of Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 and Flip 3 leaks we saw in the lead-up to their launches, Surface Duo 2 leaks have been harder to come by. The price and launch date have yet to be confirmed, but many believe that Microsoft may show off the Duo 2 at its Surface event on 9/21.