Microsoft Surface Duo Reaches End of Support After Three-Year Journey

Politics, News Sept. 10, 2023, 5:26 p.m.

Microsofts Surface Duo, released in 2020, has reached the end of its support as per Microsofts three-year commitment. Despite challenges, it gained a cult following among developers. A successor, Surface Duo 2, continues to receive updates.

Microsoft's Surface Duo, initially unveiled alongside the Surface Neo in October 2019, has officially reached the end of its support journey. While the Surface Neo was ultimately canceled before hitting the market, the Surface Duo became available to consumers in September 2020. In our previous review of this dual-screen Android device, we commended its impressive hardware, though we didn't overlook its limitations, steep price tag, and its rather specific target audience.

The discontinuation of support for the original Surface Duo aligns with Microsoft's earlier announcements. From the outset, Microsoft had stipulated that the smartphone would receive three years of Android operating system and security updates. As of September 10, 2023, this timeline has expired, marking the end of official support for the Surface Duo.

The Surface Duo's journey was indeed fraught with challenges. It was launched with Android 10 but missed its initially planned update to Android 11 in 2021, only receiving the update in 2022. Eventually, it also received Android 12L, marking the final official update it would ever receive. The device faced significant price reductions over the years as it struggled to gain traction in the consumer market.

However, the Surface Duo did find a unique following within the homebrew software development community. Enthusiastic developers embarked on ambitious projects, experimenting with running Android 13, the unreleased Windows 10X, and even Windows 11 on the device.

The original Surface Duo has now been succeeded by the Surface Duo 2, which represents a substantial improvement over its predecessor but has still encountered a somewhat lukewarm reception. While the former device will no longer receive any OS or security updates, the latter will continue to enjoy support until October 21, 2024. There are also rumors swirling about the next iteration of the Surface Duo, hinting at a departure from the hinge design in favor of a more conventional "true" foldable design, although Microsoft has yet to confirm any specifics.