14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft returning to the mobile market with the Surface Duo was certainly a huge surprise for everyone, especially as most of the leaks that happened before the October 2 unveiling mostly focused on the dual-screen Surface Neo.
And the icing on the cake is that Surface Duo doesn’t even run Windows, which means that Microsoft’s comeback to mobile is based on Android from one end to another.
For many fanboys out there, Microsoft using Android on its new phone is an outrageous thing, especially because the company also took the wraps off Windows 10X.
By definition, Windows 10X is supposed to power dual-screen devices, which is exactly what Surface Duo is in the first place, so the decision to pick Android for this new model left so many people confused.
Others think that using Android is the only way the Surface Duo can become an iPhone killer. But is that really what the Surface Duo is supposed to be? An iPhone killer? Not at all, and here is why.
First and foremost, it’s the thing that Panos Panay insisted for during the launch event.
“I’m super clear, you’re gonna talk about this as a phone, and I get that. And you’re gonna talk about it as a communications device. And it does both those things incredibly well for sure. For sure you can text, you can write, you can do what you want. Make no mistake, this product is a Surface,” Panos Panay explained, reiterating the device is built with productivity in mind.
So technically, despite having phone capabilities, Surface Duo is supposed to an extension to the standard Surface model, focusing on the exact same things as its older brothers: productivity, portability, helping people get things done.
When looking at the current mobile industry, Surface Duo gets closer to Samsung’s Galaxy Note10 rather than to the iPhone. Duo is a completely new beast, something that’s not focused necessarily on the things that matter on a phone, like camera and battery, but on how it can help you remain productive wherever you go, while offering these too.
Then, this productivity focus pushes the Surface Duo to a completely new level. Thanks to this new form factor, Surface Duo can turn from regular phone to a small laptop in a second, and with a Surface Pen, it can become a note-taking gadget that you can use for writing and drawing with minimum effort.
Despite running Android, Surface Duo retains the magic recipe that made the Surface family so special, and at the same time, which sets its apart from the rest of the industry. And more importantly, gives it the power to do what Apple’s products are unable to right now.
Make no mistakes, Apple itself knows this very well, and Surface Duo isn’t necessarily a product that takes them by surprise.
Apple has been rumored to be working on a foldable iPhone for quite some time, and when the go-ahead will be given, Surface Duo will have a fully-featured rival wearing Apple’s logo as well. In other words, Surface Duo itself isn’t aimed at the iPhone, but at a new product category that Apple doesn’t seem to be in a rush to bet big on.
For sure, a lot can change by the time Microsoft brings the Surface Duo to the market. According to the company, this should happen by the holiday season of 2020, and I expect Chinese manufacturers to heavily invest in this form factor beginning with the first months of the next year. Apple, on the other hand, is unlikely to finalize the foldable iPhone next year, as the priority for 2020 appears to be 5G iPhone.
So at the end of the day, there’s no point in comparing Surface Duo with the iPhone. These are two completely different devices with different purposes, different targets, and different approaches. And you need to decide which one is worth your money.