Reasons not to buy the Surface Duo

[maddogmoffit]

I must say when I read about the Andromeda device I was very stoked. Years later and my interest was still peeked earlier this year after Microsoft presented the Surface Duo with Android instead of Windows X. I like the concept with the book format and the ability to go from phone size to tablet size. So what is the problem with what we know so far?

Some major issues for me will most likely be camera, the battery and the processor. Also the hint that the Duo will have a glass back and the pen will not be stored on board the phone but be like in all Surface device something looked by with an magnet.

The camera, I should had understand that you cant have a good camera in this thin package but for me its an major bummer as the camera together with the screen is the most important thing on a smart phone. Here I hope that Microsoft may do something in the future with maybe a periscope solution.

The battery, I hate if I cant go a full day without needing worry for if my phone will keep up. Preferable it should be able to handle a day and a half and the combo of the Duo's screen size and battery size fall in the middle of Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL territory. That is between terrible and barely acceptable. Not a good place to be in.

The processor, the Snapdragon 855 seems to me a completely wrong choose. Not only a last generation CPU but also why an top of the line power hungry CPU for a device that is not handling any of the typical heavy processor loads? The Duo has no high pixel top performing camera, it is not a gaming machine and it will probably not handle high CPU load very good due to the thinness of the device and heat issues that come with that. It should come with and 765 or something from the 600 series, that would make the device much cheaper and lessen the power consumption, giving it a longer lastening battery. Double win for all.

A complete fail would be if it is thru that the backside of the Duo is of glass, I have dropped enough of slippery glass bricks and know that you need to have some protection and something to make it less slippery. I can't see how you put any kind of protection on a Duo to protect it from drops, maybe a skin will make it less slippery.

Finally a device that is for taking pen based notes needs to have an on-board storage for that pen. Otherwise you usually will not have the pen when you need it.

I hope that Microsoft will managed to improve on this concept and maybe solve some of my peeves in the versions 2 or 3. At least if they are solvable. Maybe then it will be a good a candidate for a buy.

 

[Dan12R]

A few thoughts on all of this.

First, this is very much a gen 1 device. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft does little to no promotion of the device. This is a new form factor and has new considerations to take into mind. Folded out, the device is significantly thinner than an iPhone. Hinge durability is a new consideration. It's hard to have a super refined device on the first go. Very rarely does anyone hit the ball out of the park on the first go.

Second, this is a device for a particular audience. This is not a device for the stereotypical teenager who's a wannabe Instagram influencer. It's the completely wrong device for them. It's focused on a different type of productivity. If you want to capture pictures, record video, etc. This isn't the device for you. That's not a knock against you. It's not a knock against the device. I can tell you that I'm going to be very particular on who I recommend this device to. For those who do a lot of research, analysis, and multi-tasking on their mobile device, it has the potential to be a great device. Here's an example. Shortly after the announcement of the device, I was in a cab and I watched the driver flip between his navigation app, his billing app, and his call management app while driving. The guy was trying to run 3 apps at the same time. I don't know what this driver did outside work, but for work, the Duo could be a great device for him because he could benefit from running multiple apps at once. I personally am not someone who's tied up with being a social media butterfly. I'm cool with bringing a dedicated camera on vacation for my photography efforts. I do a lot of multi-tasking on my phone though. I switch between apps regularly, dragging content from one app to another. For me, the Duo could be a great device. But I'm not everyone.

Okay. On to some of your particulars.

Battery life: As mentioned, this is a thin device. That does limit capacity. This is the double edged sword that is this new form factor. The thinner they make it, the less capacity. The thicker the device, the harder it is to pocket the device when it's folded. Over the versions of this device, Microsoft will find the sweet spot. Plus, efficiency and capacity will improve over time.

The processor: I think your assessment about the device is a little off the mark. I think it will be a power hungry device. As mentioned, multi-tasking is a key factor in this device. While your typical phone only runs one program at a time, this thing will regularly be running two. As far as managing heat, there are a lot of awesome things that can be done here. In fact, I think it's part of the reason that they used some of the materials they're using on this device. And this gets to your concern about the glass back. I wouldn't be surprised though if there's some sort of tacky coating that is/can be applied to help with keeping the device in hand.

I do share your concern about the pen. There's some good news here. It's not a requirement. Because there's no place to store the pen, I probably won't get a pen with this device. If I do, it will be because I found my own solution for hanging on to the pen (perhaps I just keep it in my laptop bag). This is one of those things again that perhaps in V2 or V3, it will be resolved.

As a tech community, this is all part of why we have diversity. Early adopters will buy V1 and say "I'm okay with some of the shortcomings. I want to try this thing out." They help refine the device. They help make the business case for a V2. Later adopters who buy V2 will say "This is more refined and ready for prime-time," adding to the sales and therefore, the investment into the device, making it better for everyone. Late adopters then benefit from all of this when they get V3.

I don't intend for this to come off as me defending all the limitations of the Duo. I tend to acknowledge the shortcomings. They exist. However, I take it all in context. I judge it for what it is, a first generation device for a new form factor. For consumer comparison, I understand making a statement like "The camera is no where near as good as an iPhone 11." That's because consumers need to get the device that best meets their needs and if the camera is a metric that's important to them, that's a fair comparison. From an engineering accomplishment standpoint though, I don't find that to be a fair comparison. The iPhone 11 is an 11th generation (effectively) slab. The Duo is a first generation new form factor.

To get to the topic statement though, much like a pick-up truck, the reason one shouldn't get the Duo is if it's not the right tool for them. I have no need for a pick-up truck so guess what I don't drive. If one has nothing to gain from multiple screens or can't handle the drawbacks of this 1st gen device, then they shouldn't get the Duo.

 

[mtf1380]

It needs to have a great camera...period!

 

[me just saying]

it is too early to give reasons why not to purchase the duo. everything could change before it is released. a lot of times announcements are made on new concepts early to see what the public thinks about the different features and make changes accordingly. worry about how slippery the phone is, most phones these days are slippery, worry about the camera, most users cannot tell the difference unless it is pointed out to them. worry about a pen, most phones don't come with a pen,

when it is released, I will take a good look at it - it seems to be an interesting phone. if the price aint too high and it has features that exceeds the note 10 I might even go into further debt and get it

 

[rodneyej]

You can also voice your opinion on the largest Surface Duo Group on Facebook. Join us, and I'll see you over there.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/397641020931176/?ref=share

 

[maddogmoffit]

it is too early to give reasons why not to purchase the duo.

I would agree it is to early to decide if Duo is worth purchase, the price is not yet fixed and neither is availability. The title was a bit of an provocation.

everything could change before it is released.

Actually no, all the latest articles on this site is about that it is set, no more major design changes will be done. So this thread is more about what I hope to be changed in next version. This version will be more of a proof of concept for a small test group of paying volunteer and enthusiasts. I doubt that the Duo will be distributed outside US and that is probably for the good.

worry about how slippery the phone is, most phones these days are slippery,

Yes and that sucks, even double sucks as the Duo will be slippery on all sides with very few options on putting any protection on it outside a skin. I have an slippery glass phone and I do not like it but it is at least easy to put a good case on it to protect the phone.

worry about the camera, most users cannot tell the difference unless it is pointed out to them.

Some value the camera, some do not, it is a completely arbitrary point. I happens to value the camera very high and hope that Microsoft will be able to solve the technical challenge of getting a good camera in such a thin phone. Maybe with the periscope technology that Huawei is using for its tele shooter.

worry about a pen, most phones don't come with a pen,

Most phone are not designed around the idea of an note book and note taking. The only one I know of coming close to it is the Samsung Note and it happens to come with an on board pen. It is actually one of its prime selling points.

I think we can agree on that the Duo is a very interesting concept with a lot of thing speaking for it and somethings that may need to be evaluated by the adventurous early adopters.

 

[maddogmoffit]

You have a lot of good points in your post. Yes I was a bit provoking in the thread starter but I think it is valid worries as if we are to believe WC the design is more or less set and it is only the time of launch that we are waiting for. It will be a proof of concept version for a limited audience to evaluate what works and what needs to be worked on.

When it comes to the processor I'm not sure that you are correct in that it needs a top of the line model to do the multitasking. I have not read anything on that the snapdragon 600 and 700 models would be limited in that area. It is mostly its graphical capabilities for image processing and gaming that are improved with the 800 series. I may be wrong in that and stands in such case corrected but very few of the android tabletts has an 800 series processor as the do not need the image processing for the camera and priotize battery time over raw power.

Anyway it will be an interesting device to read about when it is out in the wild.

 

[justjun555]

1) if you can't think of any use for dual screen then buying surface duo doesn't make sense because other flagships devices are much better as single screen phone.

2)if you are serius mobile camera user surface duo will be most likely a disappointment compared to competition.

3)expected average battery life as a dual screen device due to smaller capacity

4) lack of NFC, wireless charging.

 

[me just saying]

1) if you can't think of any use for dual screen then buying surface duo doesn't make sense because other flagships devices are much better as single screen phone.

2)if you are serius mobile camera user surface duo will be most likely a disappointment compared to competition.

3)expected average battery life as a dual screen device due to smaller capacity

4) lack of NFC, wireless charging.

your number four will be the one that stop a lot of possible users from getting it.

 

[Dan12R]

The funny thing about the processor is more often than not, the complaint I hear is that it's not the latest and greatest. I'm a little surprised to find someone who thinks that they should have gone lower.

I do grant Panos and team a bit of grace on the processor decision. This is a new device with new considerations. I'm sure that they've explored what the right processor is for this device. A 700 series may have not fared well either in performance or consumer confidence (those who are complaining that it's not the latest Snapdragon would REALLY pitch a fit if it was a 700 series). They've done the testing. We're just speculating. I personally prefer the newer processor as a future proof effort. For example, if I was building a PC right now, I'd go for the latest line of Ryzen CPUs. While the last gen might meet my current system needs and be cheaper, it's cheaper to spend more now and not need something new sooner because my processor demands have increased.