The Duo launched in Canada, Germany, France, and the UK

Feb 18, 2021 18:58 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has finally started selling the Surface Duo, the company’s very first Android device, in international markets, nearly six months after it originally launched it in the United States.

Customers in Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom can purchase the Surface Duo today from the Microsoft Store and authorized resellers.

The Surface Duo is Microsoft’s big bet in the Android hardware market, and it comes with a dual-screen form factor that allows it to double as a tablet when the screens are fully flat.

Microsoft says the Surface Duo is supposed to extend the productivity you typically get on a PC beyond the office, and this is the reason it comes with a dual-screen form factor.

Surface Duo in even more markets? Not so fast

“Whether it is how we work, play or learn, this past year has forced us all to reimagine and revaluate the technology we use and the way we get things done. Our own research shows that three out of four people report struggling to complete complex tasks while away from their computer,” the company explains.

“That’s because smartphones with a single screen aren’t designed for you to easily do multiple things at once. Constantly switching between apps to get even the most essential things done breaks focus and breaks flow. We know dual-screen devices not only help people complete complex tasks faster but also require less cognitive effort, making them universally preferred for productivity tasks.”

For the time being, Microsoft hasn’t said a single thing about bringing the Surface Duo to even more markets, but at the same time, it’s believed the company is already working on a second-generation model that could see the daylight rather sooner than later. Microsoft is betting big on Android hardware in the long term, and the new Surface Duo would resolve all the shortcomings of its predecessor, including the outdated hardware.