Editor’s take: The follow-up to Microsoft’s dual screen smartphone, the Surface Duo, is expected to be announced any day now. Fortunately for prospective buyers, it appears to be far more power than the original. But will Microsoft be able to get the price right this time around?
The original was first showcased back in 2019, but it’d be another year before Microsoft finally got around to launching the quirky device. Microsoft’s take was a bit different than what Samsung and others had been exploring with their early foldables, featuring two fixed screens rather than a single bendable display. As a result, it was far more durable, but that alone did’t make it desirable.
Unfortunately for some interested in the concept, Microsoft’s initial offering was riddled with bugs, and lacked multiple run-of-the-mill features like wireless charging, water resistance and expandable storage. What’s more, it was weighed down by a hefty price tag, starting at $1.399, before an eventual price cut to $999.
While we don’t yet have a full picture of what the Surface Duo 2 will bring to the table, a recent Geedbench 5 run does provide a few clues. According to the run, the Surface Duo 2 will be powered by Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 888 processor alongside 8GB of RAM and will ship with Android 11.
The benchmark was uploaded on August 26, and for what it’s worth, the device recorded a single-core score of 1,091 and a multi-core score of 3,517.
Last month, the rumor mill delivered the first leaks what was purported to be the Surface Duo 2. If accurate, Microsoft’s next will feature an upgraded tripe rear camera array consisting of an ultrawide, a telephoto and a standard lens.