Surface Duo 2 One-Year Follow-Up: Better than Ever! But, still messy...
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- It's been over a year since the #SurfaceDuo 2 arrived at my doorstep. At the time, it was a great phone with a few notable caveats. Since then, it's received numerous updates and had time to simmer as I lugged it around the Midwest. In this video, we'll look at how well it's held up and if those caveats have gotten any less noticeable.
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Small correction:
Early in the video, I say that I've been switching back and forth between the Fold 4 and Surface Duo 2 for the past year (which is impossible). Before the Fold 4 came out, I was switching between the Duo 2 and Fold 3, still for the same reasons. Sorry for the inconvenience.
For the algorithm 💪
I'd never heard of the Surface Duo line before I found your videos, but you certainly made me interested in owning one. I'm still rocking a Samsung Galaxy S7 so even a phone that's a few years older would be an upgrade in many respects, but I can't seem to find the Duo 2 in the UK. From the sounds of it this is going to be another footnote in Microsoft's book of tech that could have been great, which is a shame.
You're honestly not alone in not hearing about it. When I use it restaurants or in public, I still get folks wondering what the heck it is. Glad I could at least spread awareness a bit more with these videos though.
At this point, I think you might have to look on eBay to find one. (From the looks of it, they're selling for £500 - £800.) At least, that's the main place I'm usually seeing them for sale. Based on the lower sales of the Duo 1, I think fewer retailers stocked up on the Duo 2. So, there haven't been a ton of other options once Microsoft backed away from direct sales.
Bro, your channel is so underrated TOT I hope more people find it, its really good!!!!
100%
I have the first one! I have the same problems that you do....but I still love the little bugger! I love closing the phone to hang up. Feels old school as flip!
2 screens with a touch screen will always be my favorite ever
Got the Duo 1 and my most fav thing about it is using one screen to draw with the pen and using other screen as ref. So if I'm drawing a cartoon lion, I can have Google images of real lions on other screen as reference. If I'm making a sculpture 3d model in Nomad Sculpt on one screen, I can have other open for ref images. Yes you can do this with Galaxy Fold but it just hits different on Duo. Better.
100% Agreed. On the Fold 4, everything feels a bit more cramped when dedicating space to a floating or split screen reference menu. In apps like Clip Studio Paint that span well, I'm also a huge fan of dedicating one screen to just menus and buttons and the other to a canvas. That clear separation of purpose for each screen is incredibly satisfying while sketching.
I feel so lucky because I tracked down a refurbished Duo 2 on Back Market and it came today...it looks and feels brand new ...it might be the last one left
its a good device, that deserves a third version
Holy smokes this video was excellent. It just started auto playing for me and I thought it was a video from Engadget or The Verge. Keep em coming, got a sub from me!
I had the first gen Duo and really enjoyed using it, despite how much it lacked compared to the smartphones at its release. I traded it in for a Fold 4 and tried running with that for a while, but I found myself really missing the dual screens. The Fold 4 is an amazing device, but it's just not for me. I do a lot of accounting work and being able to run Excel on 1 screen while having emails or texts open on the other is what caused me to get a Duo 2. Foldables are awesome, but this is the phone for me.
you have great presentation on camera dude keep it up
Nice video, LIKE your relaxing/chill vibe. I also had picked up the Duo 2 last August and overall enjoyed my time with it and it definitely brought a smile to my face. Unfortunately, the left screen after a few months all of a sudden stopped registering touches. Fortunately it was still under warranty. Unfortunately, Microsoft said they were out of stock and gave me a refund(which was a nightmare and took me over a month to get back FYI). I was thinking of waiting and seeing what the Duo 3 was going to be like: smaller bezels, wireless charging, a better camera perhaps? Bur unfortunately Microsoft has decided to abandon the Dual Screen concept and join Samsung and others by releasing a foldable next year(maybe). As for me, I just ordered a OPPO Find N2 and will sell my Fold 3 to mitigate the cost as I am not a huge fan of taller/narrower aspect ratio when it is folded. I was also thinking of the Pixel Fold but didnt want to sell out $1999 at this time(I got the OPPO Find N2 off Swappa for $1080) and also was thinking of the Vivo X Fold 2. Anyways I hope the Duo 3 does come out as if there's more competition/options us thr end user benefits from it. Also a shameless plug of my unboxing of the Duo 2: ua-cam.com/video/3g1DQc1ITAw/v-deo.html
Great follow up!, Although after returning my duo I haven't used a duo again, this form factor device still very interesting, I've been a Z fold user since. I have always think that at the right price, Surface duo is an awesome companion/secondary device, obviously if Microsoft doesn't abandon development.
I keep switching from duo 2 to my fold 4 too!! The main reason it that my fold 4 screen is so much better calibrate to watch movie
P.S I use an official Nintendo 2DS case for my surface Duo with slim pen, works perfect!
Oooo great idea! I might actually give that a shot for my Duo 1.
Wait what?!? It actually fits?! I dont remember the ds being so thin
Do you mean a carrying case?
@@EddiePReacts I think they meant a carrying case.
Just discovered today, that my less than 2 1/2 year old duo 2 is non-repairable, my battery is not lasting like it did, so tried opening a service & repair at Microsoft, and they no longer service the phone!, so I called them and they say they only replace phones, that they are non serviceable! and that they don't have units anymore! and I ask her so if I wanted a battery replacement how much would have cost me, and the lady says since its out of warranty the same as a new phone, but again we don't have stock. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS COMPANY! so much e-waste and such a loss, ($1700 !) a perfectly working phone, to the trash because they designed this device to not be repairable, you cant even find batteries anywhere!. Please bring this up to the attention of people!
i swear i still want one of these
Thank you ☺️
This phone is simultaneously my most favorite and hated phone. When it works well, it is such an elegant and pleasant device. Then we have the consistent bugs. Screen orientation, turns off randomly, autodialing 911, random green screen crashes, delayed start up of touch screen, etc. I'm distrustful of Microsoft now thanks to this device. And why the hell can't I still stream Xbox on this phone Microsoft?!!! The Xbox app yields a black screen when I try to stream my Xbox within my home network and on data. Trash.
I would also love to have a dual screen phone to play ds games.
Another option that is slightly more common is the LG V60 which has a dual-screen case but that is getting hard to find as well.
" Long walks in chicago." I know I'm one minute in, but no way. People steal for a lot less. There's no way someone wouldn't come from behind and thump you to steal what they thinks a handheld.
Not sure what your experience is with the city, but I've walked close to a thousand miles around Chicago in the past year alone (from the MSI through the border to Evanston) and haven't experienced any issues. A good chunk of the time, I had fairly expensive tech out and in-use for one reason or another.
@@GameXData because of rap music everybody thinks Chicago is one big Violent Hood but never realizing how huge Chicago is and how safe downtown is.
As soon as I got mine I felt the same it’s a secondary device, I definitely prefer using it but it’s just a little buggier and clunkier than a flagship should be AND the gampass Apps behaviour is INEXCUSABLE🤨
If in the future this technology gets cheaper. Then a company can come out with a fgpa Nintendo ds for retail. :D
I think we might be waiting a while. It's likely less of a "dual screen devices are expensive" situation and more so "FPGA chips on a mobile device aren't cheap and powerful enough yet" sorta thing.
is there any sort of case/protection for this thing? i've doubted this since i saw it (cuz it kinda looks like its gonna break when it falls anyway) but its still worth asking
Microsoft made rubber bumpers that fit around the edges and do a decent job absorbing the shock of a fall. I've seen some other folks post about third-party cases and skins as well. If you type "Surface Duo 2 case" into Google, you'll see a ton of options pop up, even if some are a bit pricier.
Although, tbh, I've been using mine without a case for over a year without any issues. It's dropped from tables, benches, pockets, and other casual heights that come with random use, but I still haven't seen any scratches or cracks. Kinda like folding screen phones, Duos are deceptively sturdy for general use and likely don't need a case unless you know you're prone to dropping your phone a lot.
Before the 12l update... that one month, the duo 2 was the best phone i ever used. But afterward, it seems theres always some kind of bug that just ticks me off. The duo is my preferred format phone. But its so unreliable, and since my job requires me being glued to my phone with different apps, i just cant trust the duo 2 as my primary. The kindle app is my main pull for the phone. But between the crappy battery and the freezing/stuttering... it drives me insane. I just cant do it. So ive been going back and forth from duo 2 and fold 4 every month, when duo gets a new update i try it out to see if its gotten better. But it never does, its just unreliable. So.... im looking at that pixel fold for the dimensions i want. Just seems microsoft has given up on the duo as a product. It shouldnt be in this bad of shape, or so far behind features for a phone this expensive.
That is my experience on the SD1. I'm also contemplating going to the Pixel Fold when it is released.
Planned obsolescence is a crime
It has gotten more reliable for me over time. My SD2 is my secondary device and works perfectly in my car as my portable Infotainment screen.
I was just about to pick one up for DS emulation but no microSD card slot kills it for me.
To be fair, DraStic hasn't supported microSD card storage for a while. Even if the Duo 2 could expand its storage, you'd still need to copy games internally.
@@GameXData That is good to know, maybe I'll reconsider the purchase, it is such a nice looking device....
more devices more problems
I just hope samsung steals this just a lil samsung in this and I'd buy 2 ds fan boy
I would have bought a Surface Duo 2 (or 3 if it wasn't delayed). If I wasn't locked in a contract with my LG V60 Dual Screen phone.
Now that I'm eligible for a phone upgrade. Microsoft isn't selling them and my phone carrier isn't selling them either.
The LG V60 with the only exceptions being the plastic hinges of the Dual-Screen case, and the 60Hz screens is in a lot of ways a better phone. Headphone jack, SD card slot, and a larger battery than the SD2. Sadly, there will likely never be a SD3.
Whats the hattery life like when playing ds games? Im trying to decide if i should get a dsi xl which has like 12 hours on time or one of these. This is also vastly more expensive so leaning towards dsi xl
If battery life and price are your main sticking points, you should go with original hardware. Buying a Surface Duo 2 solely for DS emulation is a bit overkill.
@@GameXData okay thanks
i think a 3ds will always be better
would like to buy it just for ds/3ds emulation,but unless I will founs it for cheap used,yeah fat chance
It might be worthwhile to take a look at the Duo 1. It's got an older processor that's a tad worse for 3DS emulation, but it also sells for a quarter of the price while still being just as great for DS emulation. (Sometimes less if you don't mind some cracked glass.)
its very slow, compared to fold 4
In what way? I personally haven't noticed much of a difference between the two for performance.