Microsoft gives the Surface Duo another shot with the Surface Duo 2 leaking in live photos

The Microsoft Surface Duo was first unveiled in late 2019 on the back of rumors about a special Surface Phone the company was developing. While it wowed at launch with its ultra-thin dual-display design it has been a critical and commercial flop. By the time it hit the market in 2020, it was running the previous year’s flagship Snapdragon 855 instead of the 865, was plagued with software bugs and had an underwhelming camera by contemporary standards.

Despite all of this, Microsoft's concept for the Surface Duo as a productivity focused device has much potential and it has been rumored to be working on a sequel. New still photos leaked by YouTuber Tech Rat shows what appears to be the Surface Duo 2. The most notable change is the addition of a rather large camera bump on the rear of the device that is said to now house a wide-angle, an ultra wide-angle and a telephoto camera. Other minor changes include moving the fingerprint reader into the power button and a centered USB-C port on the right-hand side of the device. 

In terms of internal changes, rumors suggest Microsoft will include Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon 888 SoC, 5G support and NFC to support contactless payments. While these are positive signs, the biggest criticism of the Surface Duo ultimately centered around its software, which remains stuck on Android 10. Hopefully, when the Surface Duo 2 eventually launches, it will be a much more polished device than the original. Otherwise, it could be the end of Microsoft’s phone efforts for good.

Buy the Microsoft Surface Duo from Amazon for US$694, a saving of US$806.