Microsoft has officially announced that it will no longer support the original Surface Duo. In other words, the company’s first generation dual-screen smartphone has reached the end of its troublesome life. Accordingly, firmware updates will no longer be offered; At least officially…
Microsoft announced the Surface Duo at a special event on October 2, 2019, alongside another ill-fated device, the Surface Neo. Unlike the larger Neo and the now-defunct Windows 10X operating system, the Surface Duo ran Android 10, making it the only non-Windows-based Surface device.
Of course, it wasn’t the software that made the Surface Duo special in a good way. The smartphone featured an incredibly thin chassis with sturdy hinges, quality build, and two large OLED displays. Interestingly, it was so thin that the USB-C port could barely fit in and eventually cracks formed around the plastic material.
Although it is not possible to recommend the Surface Duo to a normal consumer, it has become a great toy for smartphone enthusiasts. Project WOA makes it possible to replace Android with Windows 11, and most parts of the device work as they should. There is also an unofficial port of Android 13 available for those who prefer a mobile operating system on a mobile device.
In 2021, the second-generation Surface Duo tried to improve itself with faster OLED displays, better chassis, noticeably improved cameras, faster hardware and more. However, the software aspect was generally inadequate.
Four years after the initial announcement, the smartphone duo had become almost impossible to find. Rumors claim that Microsoft is no longer producing the Surface Duo 2 either. According to a recent report, Microsoft has transferred most of the Duo team to other projects and has no plans to upgrade the smartphone to Android 13 or 14. The company will also stop supporting Surface Duo 2 on October 21, 2024.
The original Surface Duo is now history. It was a great idea and a nice try. Too bad it didn’t work.
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