Is it time to move on from Surface Duo?

[Windows Central]

The Surface Duo line isn't receiving much in the way of support from Microsoft right now, so is it time to move on?

Is it time to move on from Surface Duo? : Read more

 

[Roccy]

I have been dabbling with the 1st gen Duo almost a year now, and mostly like its viewing options as compared to "conventional" slab phones. However, even in that respect, it has had significant draw backs. The most annoying one for me is that combined screen mode viewing for many types of content, especially text, are hindered by the "lost" line of the center gap between the screens which can have a very annoying impact when it obliterates crucial text and/or action buttons in the middle of content.

The durability issue has started to show up as the plastic edge around the charge port is starting chip off, since it cannot be protected without unplugging it.

Also, the screen is starting to get into an intermittent flickering on-off mode after being on for several hours, which requires a complete screen off-on cycle to settle down.

Then there's the issue of finding a reasonably protective belt case that is easy to get the Duo in and out of when I need to answer a call. That is the way I have been using cell phones the last 20 years or so - not practical for me to try using a pocket for carrying.

I got burned by MS on Pocket PC phones and Windows phone 8-10, so the Duo is the 3rd strike and out for my "game".

 

[GraniteStateColin]

I have been dabbling with the 1st gen Duo almost a year now, and mostly like its viewing options as compared to "conventional" slab phones. However, even in that respect, it has had significant draw backs. The most annoying one for me is that combined screen mode viewing for many types of content, especially text, are hindered by the "lost" line of the center gap between the screens which can have a very annoying impact when it obliterates crucial text and/or action buttons in the middle of content.

The durability issue has started to show up as the plastic edge around the charge port is starting chip off, since it cannot be protected without unplugging it.

Also, the screen is starting to get into an intermittent flickering on-off mode after being on for several hours, which requires a complete screen off-on cycle to settle down.

Then there's the issue of finding a reasonably protective belt case that is easy to get the Duo in and out of when I need to answer a call. That is the way I have been using cell phones the last 20 years or so - not practical for me to try using a pocket for carrying.

I got burned by MS on Pocket PC phones and Windows phone 8-10, so the Duo is the 3rd strike and out for my "game".

Well, that model is several years old now, so I would be more surprised if there were no hardware problems creeping in by now. But the "missing" text means you're not using it right. That's like a complaining that the hammer you bought is no good because it won't properly tighten your phillips screws.

The Duo is NOT a tablet and doesn't open up into a tablet. It has two separate screens, not a single foldable screen. The upside to that is the 360 fold, tent mode, the ability to wrap it around your hand in single-screen mode so it's undroppable, no need for a separate external display to just add weight, cost, and thickness to no effect. On the other hand, unlike a foldable display, it can't become a tablet because there is a gap between the two screens. Just like on a desktop PC with dual monitors, you don't run a window across both of them (maybe some games, but certainly nothing with text), same with the Duo. The Duo has two screens for multitasking or for running apps designed to take advantage of both screens, like all the MS Office apps. It's also great when flipped into its laptop mode, using one screen for a large keyboard and the other a huge display.

It's not that foldable is better than dual screens or vice versa. They are different tools that do different things. Like a screwdriver and a hammer.

Also, while I hear you on Windows Phone 8-10, how did MS burn you with Pocket PC phones? Those were among the premier and most reliable smartphones of the pre-iPhone era.

 

[GraniteStateColin]

Oh, Microsoft... I think my Duo 2 (upgraded from the Duo 1, that I handed down to a family member) is by far my favorite phone I've ever owned. It's nearly perfect for me, except for the missing Qi charging, which I originally had been expecting would be added for the Duo 3.

Yeah, I'd prefer a foldable screen over dual screens, IF it could also fold 360 degrees, but given a choice between 1 screen that only folds 180 degrees, or 2 with a gap but that fold 360 degrees for tent mode, eliminating the need for that absurd external display, and other features, I'll take the dual screens every day.

I also love the 3:2 aspect ratio of each of the Duo screens. I came from a Samsung Galaxy. I find it's 18:9 aspect ratio to be terrible. When I use those now, I feel like I'm working on one of the sides of an old #2 pencil. They're so narrow and cramped as to be useless (for me, I know many people love that aspect ratio).

But yeah, hard to trust MS with any mobile hardware now. I had originally said (wrongly) that because the Duo came from the Surface team, it would get proper love for an extended period. Nope.

MS just seems perfectly content to give its most loyal customers the finger. As a former (and partially still) product development manager, I understand the need to cut losses and drop a failing product, but MS' approach to the Duo and the way it treats it post-launch is the CAUSE of the problems, not the other way around. If you treat your product releases as mistakes and don't bolster the customers who buy them, the product will fail. This is one of the main reasons you see ads on TV for products: it's not just to sell new stuff, it's also to make existing owners believe they made a smart choice so they develop brand loyalty. Marketing 101 (OK, maybe 201), but apparently totally alien to MS.

We have 5 Surface devices in our house: Surface Go, Pro, Laptop Studio, and Duo 1 and Duo 2 (not to mention 3 Xboxes along with other Windows systems from HP and Fujitsu and multiple custom-built Windows desktops). And I had Windows Phone Lumias before that. I don't know that MS can win back my trust on a phone. Maybe they don't want to. Maybe this indicates they're officially out of the phone business for the foreseeable future.

If Linux and Apple software and Mac OS weren't so unusable for productivity work, this would make me want to switch ecosystems. At a minimum, I'm more likely to go with another HP Spectro over a sixth Surface for my next laptop.

Just sad and a bit disgusted by the whole thing. But for now, I'm going to keep using my Duo 2 because for me, there's nothing else out there anywhere near as good.

 

[Hanley Gibbons]

It was time to give up on the Duo before it even launched.

The future was clear as soon as Samsung launched the Fold. Folding screens, for all their current shortcomings, will be a superior user experience because of the flexibility they offer.

Want two screens? Cool, build in native snapping and an emulated bezel in the middle of the screen. Want one giant screen? Cool, span the app. The Pixel Fold is what the Duo should have been, regardless of whether it was running Android, Windows 10X, or something else.

 

[GraniteStateColin]

It was time to give up on the Duo before it even launched.

The future was clear as soon as Samsung launched the Fold. Folding screens, for all their current shortcomings, will be a superior user experience because of the flexibility they offer.

Want two screens? Cool, build in native snapping and an emulated bezel in the middle of the screen. Want one giant screen? Cool, span the app. The Pixel Fold is what the Duo should have been, regardless of whether it was running Android, Windows 10X, or something else.

Having used both folding devices and dual screen Duo, for me, the dual screen wins, for now. Obviously in the market it hasn't won, but in terms of actual function, it's a superior product. Until folding screens support 360 degree folding, which is getting closer, I'll take the dual screen option every time for the reasons explained above. Once folding screens can do a 360 degree fold, I too would prefer them, but the 360 degree hinge for tent mode and to avoid the need for an extra screen (with its added thickness, cost, weight, and power consumption) is more important than a tablet mode on devices that have virtually no software designed for a tablet mode.