When Microsoft announced the Surface Duo, it was clear that the company had something special up its sleeve. The device is a tablet and laptop hybrid that combines the best of both worlds. The Surface Duo is available now for $799.99 and has been met with mixed reviews. Some people love it because it is a great device that can combine a tablet with a laptop, while others find it to be too expensive and not worth the extra money. What are some of the reasons why reviewers are mixed on the Surface Duo? Some say that it is not as good as they thought it would be, while others find it to be an amazing device that can combine both a tablet and laptop into one package.
Surface Duo 2 Reviews
New phone reviews are always interesting to examine, as it’s fun to see how the internet as a whole is responding to a new device. In the case of the Surface Duo 2, it’s even more entertaining because the phone has such an unconventional design.
RELATED: Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 Blows the Original Away
As it turns out, it’s hard to draw an accurate conclusion from the reviews for the $1,500 dual-screen phone from Microsoft. Some critics seem to like the improvements Microsoft made over the original Surface Duo, and some seem less impressed.
Josh Hendrickson with Review Geek offered hands-on impressions with the device, and he was mostly positive with his experience. “It’s too soon to say if the Surface Duo 2 is just ‘better on paper’ or if that translates to real life. I do know this; I missed having its multi-tasking capabilities. I’m looking forward to having a ‘desktop in my pocket’ again. We’ll have to see if it stays in my pocket … or if I’ll return it again,” Hendrickson said.
Over on Engadget, reviewer Cherlynn Low gave the Surface Duo 2 a 63/100, which is decent but not exactly enough to make you want to run out and drop $1,500 of your hard-earned money. The review cited some improvements over the preview model but mentioned that the phone still has problems. “But despite having addressed many of the previous generation’s issues and adding some useful features, the Duo 2 remains a frustrating device,” Low said in the review.
Cnet was a little happier with the Surface Duo 2, giving it a 7.8/10. While it’s still not a scare that’ll blow you away, it’s perfectly respectable. One of the biggest issues cited by Lisa Eadicicco is the lack of optimized apps for the dual-screen layout. Eadicicco said, “For a device like the Surface Duo 2 to be worth it, the two-screened app experience needs to be materially better than the single-screen app experience. That’s just not true today since there are still so many popular apps that aren’t optimized.”
The Verge seems to have fallen more in line with Engadget from a scoring perspective, giving the phone a 6/10. Reviewer Dan Seifert cited some negatives, including:
Frustrating bugs Lousy camera Expensive Awkward form factor to actually use
Windows Central definitely knows Microsoft, so it’s interesting to see the perspective of reviewer Daniel Rubino. The review seems to follow a similar trend to others, citing improved hardware with software that isn’t up to par. “Microsoft’s latest dual-screen Android phone gets major hardware revisions, which positively alters the experience, but the software still holds it back from greatness,” said Rubino.
Outside of the traditional tech websites, CNN also published a review of the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. Overall, it sounds like reviewer Jacob Krol is quite happy with the phone. The review kicks off with the following: “Polish and refinement — the two words to sum up Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2. After several days with this dual-screen phone, it’s clear that Microsoft corrected mistakes and listened to feedback with the Duo 2.” Krol summed up the phone by saying, “Duo 2 is ultimately best for someone who wants to focus on two apps at once and seeks a device that puts productivity at the very center.”
Software Is the Problem
While it seems like Microsoft really listened to the complaints thrown it after the release of the original Surface Duo from a hardware perspective, it doesn’t appear that the company managed to get the software right. While the phone seems to be a lot better than the first-generation, it looks like it still has some work to do to justify that $1,500 price tag.
