Microsoft just announced the Surface Duo 2, and it’s clear what the primary Surface Duo should be the first time around. Its hardware made for the year it had been launched, pulling only a few punches at this point. Its launch, however, may need to cause a number of the owners of the first-gen dual-screen device concern over software support, and Microsoft is putting those fears to rest with the promise of an Android 11 before the year is over.
The idea for the Surface Duo showed great promise but was hobbled by both hardware and software implementation. On the hardware side, the Surface Duo that launched last year bore specs meant for 2019 flagships. Even disregarding the processor and lack of 5G, the primary iteration’s lone 11MP camera left tons to be desired.
In terms of software, Microsoft put an almost vanilla version of Android 10 that did not live up to the promise of the Surface Duo. Its modifications to support a dual-screen device were often buggy, though, to its credit, Microsoft pushed out regular updates to the device during its life. Now it’s committing to a serious upgrade which will hopefully bring some relief to early adopters.
Microsoft told The Verge that Android 11 for the Surface Duo remains slated for later this year, just after Android 12’s public availability. This may presumably be an equivalent version of Android 11 running on the Surface Duo 2, which hopefully brings better support for dual-screen devices.
That might be welcome news, but it still falls in need of expectations for major Android OEMs lately, though Microsoft is admittedly a newcomer therein regard. However, with two Android devices under its Surface brand, the corporate might be more motivated to stay on top of things and perhaps roll out Android 12 before Android 13 arrives next year.
