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{"id":8288,"date":"2022-06-19T14:44:49","date_gmt":"2022-06-19T14:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/06\/19\/microsofts-weird-surface-duo-2-has-surprisingly-become-my-favorite-device-of-the-year\/"},"modified":"2022-06-19T14:44:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-19T14:44:50","slug":"microsofts-weird-surface-duo-2-has-surprisingly-become-my-favorite-device-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/06\/19\/microsofts-weird-surface-duo-2-has-surprisingly-become-my-favorite-device-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft\u2019s weird Surface Duo 2 has surprisingly become my favorite device of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/23171638\/microsoft-surface-duo-2-dual-screen-revisit-updates-price<\/a>
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It\u2019s exceedingly rare that a product actually gets better<\/em> months after it was released. But Microsoft\u2019s oft-forgotten Surface Duo 2<\/a>, which launched back in October 2021 with a steep price tag and a laundry list of bugs and issues that made it very frustrating to use, has bucked that trend. In fact, the Duo 2 has improved so much that it\u2019s now one of my favorite mobile devices, even if it\u2019s still weird and unique enough that I can\u2019t exactly recommend it to most people.<\/p>\n

In case you\u2019ve forgotten, the Surface Duo 2 is a folding phone with two big screens joined by a hinge. Unlike Samsung\u2019s Galaxy Z Fold 3<\/a>, which takes a single tablet-sized display and folds it in half to fit in your pocket, the Duo 2\u2019s two screens make it feel more like two large phones attached together and running the same software. You can easily run two apps side by side as if you were holding two phones at the same time, or you can span a single app across both screens to mimic a small tablet. Both halves of the phone are thin enough that it can fold together like a book and fit into a pocket with relative ease. Pair it with Microsoft\u2019s Surface Slim Pen 2<\/a>, and you have a portable digital notebook that can work just as well for note-taking, reading an ebook, or drafting an email.<\/p>\n

When I reviewed the Surface Duo 2 last year<\/a>, none of its clever design or book-like features mattered. The device was effectively broken, held back by software bugs that made it infuriating to type on, frustrating to use, and ultimately disappointing. It was a $1,500 novelty that could only appeal to the most die-hard Microsoft brand stooges willing to put up with its many faults so they could have the never-launched Courier device<\/a> they dreamed about over a decade ago.<\/p>\n

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The Surface Duo 2 doesn\u2019t really work well as a phone, but can be a very useful pocket computer.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

But, remarkably, Microsoft has not given up on the Duo 2. In fact, the company has consistently issued software updates on a monthly basis<\/a> to address the many problems the Duo 2 had at launch. Some of these updates consisted of simple security patches and small bug fixes, while others, like the recent June update, included more significant corrections and added new features. Crucially, Microsoft has addressed the touch latency problems that were prevalent at launch and made it very difficult to type on the Duo 2\u2019s virtual keyboard \u2014 or even navigate the interface.<\/p>\n

Knowing that Microsoft has been attending to many of my original complaints with the Duo 2, I took advantage of a recent price cut (the phone can now be had for $1,000<\/a>, which is still expensive but significantly less than its launch price) and a generous trade-in offer and bought one of my own. The goal was to see if I could get a better idea of what Microsoft is trying to accomplish with this device when show-stopping bugs aren\u2019t standing in its way.<\/p>\n

And reader, I can finally say I get it. The Duo 2 is the most unique mobile device I\u2019ve used, allowing me to do things I just can\u2019t do with a traditional smartphone. It also does certain things, such as multitasking and reading ebooks, better than the Z Fold 3\u2019s single large screen.<\/p>\n

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Reading Kindle books remains one of the best experiences on the Duo 2.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Rotating the Duo 2 to portrait while both screens are open provides a large iPad Mini-size display for reading vertically scrolling articles or taking hand-written notes.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the past month-plus, I\u2019ve used the Duo 2 for reading lots of books in the Kindle app, which takes advantage of the dual screens to provide a more book-like experience than any other device. I\u2019ve managed my inbox and calendar at the same time; I\u2019ve edited Google Docs while keeping up with a Slack conversation. I\u2019ve used the Slim Pen 2 to take hand-written notes in OneNote. I\u2019ve read countless articles in my Pocket queue with the app stretched across both screens and the Duo 2 turned into a portrait orientation. I\u2019ve watched so much video spanned across both screens that I don\u2019t even notice the slight gap anymore. There\u2019s something undeniably satisfying about completing a task on the Duo 2 and then folding it closed like a book and slipping it into my pocket.<\/p>\n

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