Microsoft’s Surface Duo has remained an exclusive option for the US since its launch in September 2020, but the company is now making its promise to launch the device internationally. In a flurry of news reports published this morning, Microsoft confirmed that its ambitious dual-screen smartphone will be on sale in the UK, France, Germany and Canada on 18 February.
Fans in the UK will be able to buy their Duos directly from Currys PC World and from Microsoft, with prices starting at £ 1,349. The company has also colored similar distribution agreements with FNAC and Darty in France, along with Saturn and MediaMarkt in Germany, where the Duo sold for € 1 549. (At the time of publication, Microsoft has not yet announced its Canadian pricing.)
The company also had good news for prospective Surface Duo owners, a little closer to home: the device now sells for at least $ 999, compared to the original $ 1,399. While we can not yet see if this is a permanent price reduction, it is a clear sign that Microsoft wants to give the Duo a chance in a year when competitors like Samsung prioritize “more accessible” – or in other words cheaper. – foldable.
Although Microsoft usually does not call it one, the Surface Duo is the company’s first new smartphone since the 2015 Lumia 950 and 950 XL – a pair of devices that more or less jumped out of the gate. In the years that followed, we saw the quality of Microsoft’s hardware shoot through the roof, and the Surface Duo is perhaps one of the best expressions of the company’s engineering talent. Unfortunately, the first wave of review units seems to be plagued by inconsistent, inelegant software, leading to reviews that killed many of the early hype that Microsoft had hoped to exploit. However, according to most accounts, the Surface Duo software has improved significantly thanks to a series of semi-regular updates – between the added polish and this new price reduction, the Duo may just have the chance to shine like it could not almost six months ago .