We expect smartphone innovation from Apple, Google, and Samsung, but last year it was Microsoft that surprised us by revealing it planned to launch a dual-screen Android device. Now Microsoft has confirmed the Surface Duo's launch date and sky-high price.
In a Tech Community blog post, Frank Bucholz, senior product marketing manager for Surface, revealed that the Surface Duo launches on Sept. 10, but pre-orders will open on Sept. 1. What is going to make many pause before hitting that pre-order button, though, is the price. It starts at $1,399.
In return for all that cash you're getting what Microsoft calls an 8.1-inch PixelSense Fusion display, constructed of two 5.6-inch displays linked by a 360-degree hinge. The Surface Duo runs Android and therefore can take advantage of the "full ecosystem of Android mobile apps," but Microsoft is keen to stress this is also a device focused on a Microsoft 365 experience.
If the high price wasn't enough of a hint, Microsoft sees the Surface Duo as a device for the Enterprise, and is offering "Enterprise-level security" as standard. The Duo uses a custom Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) allowing companies to retain full control over all firmware components. Microsoft also says every line of firmware code has been reviewed internally so as to mitigate any threats potentially introduced in the component supply chain. Each device can also be managed in the cloud allowing for a high level of device and data protection, while limiting which apps can be installed.
Surface Duo users will benefit from access to Windows Virtual Desktop, which Microsoft describes as "a comprehensive desktop and app virtualization service running in the Azure cloud." It's basically a way of offering a full Windows 10 and Office 365 experience on the Android device seamlessly.
If you want a Surface Duo, Microsoft is making stock available to commercial customers through a range of authorized retailers including CDW, Connection, Insight, PCM, Shi, Softchoice, Staples, Verizon, and Zones. Expect pre-orders to go live on the Microsoft online Shop for Business on Sept. 1, too.
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