14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has already launched the Surface Duo 2, and the company is believed to be working on the third generation, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that owners of the original model have received the highly anticipated Android 11 update.
Not at all, as Android 11 is still nowhere to be seen at a time when the Android 12 is running at full speed for Android devices out there.
Microsoft not shipping Android 11 to the original Surface Duo in 2021 is certainly a big disappointment for users, as the device is still on Android 10, therefore missing out on some pretty important improvements that are part of the operating system.
Originally expected to land by the end of this year, it’s pretty clear the Android 11 update would no longer see the daylight in 2021.
Android 11 to launch in the first days of 2022
But according to the latest Windows Central podcast (via onMSFT), the Android 11 update is actually just around the corner for the Surface Duo, with Microsoft expected to push the go-ahead button as soon as January. As it turns out, Microsoft’s engineers are already running Windows 11 internally, and the delay for production devices is only happening because of the validation that Google needs to complete before the public rollout starts.
Microsoft has reportedly sent the Android 11 update image to Google, so if everything goes according to the plan, the search giant should give the green light for the update in the first days of January.
In theory, the original Surface Duo should also receive the Android 12 update, but given not even Android 11 has been released, it’s almost impossible to guess the date when the rollout could happen. If anything, expect Android 12 to land on the Surface Duo by this time the next year.