The Surface Duo price and release date are finally official, as Microsoft has quietly launched its first “foldable” Android handset ever. The Surface Duo starts at $1,299 and will be available in stores on September 10th. Surface Duo preorders are set to start on August 12th.
It finally — and quietly — happened! Microsoft revealed the actual price and release date of its first Android handset, which happens to be of the “foldable” kind. But the Surface Duo is not the type of foldable smartphones we really want, so I’ll refer to it as a dual-screen device. The phone will cost you $1,399, which is a lot more expensive than most Android flagships out there, even the $1,299 Galaxy Note 20 that Samsung launched last week. And it’s a lot more expensive than the cheapest iPhone 11 you can get. But the device that turns into a tablet of sorts does have a price advantage over handsets that actually feature a foldable screen, including the new Z Fold 2 and even the Z Flip. The Duo is $600 cheaper than the original Fold phone, $100 less expensive than the underpowered Motorola Razr, and $100 more expensive than the Z Flip. Microsoft unveiled the Surface Duo last fall, alongside the Windows-based Surface Neo foldable tablet/laptop combo.
