It's not amazing, but after applying a system update which Microsoft pushed out late last week, I have to say picture quality was passable and better than I had feared. The Duo's single 11 MP camera quality is OK. Microsoft seemingly decided keeping the Duo super-thin was more important than having a premium camera on this device. Call quality using Google Fi in and near my New York City apartment was solid. Because of its roughly 4-inch horizontal width in portrait mode,the Duo is easier to use as a phone with wireless earbuds. It's a big and somewhat unwieldy phone, weighing in at half a pound (not including the bumpers). Things that didn't make me (too) sad: The Duo works just fine as a phone. But maybe it also has to do with the way Microsoft designed the device with two batteries, one on each side. I'm guessing the Duo's good battery life is because this is an Android, not a Windows device. While battery life is very dependent on the types of apps being used and whether it's on WiFi, cell or a mix, I found myself getting more than a full day of battery consistently with intermittent use. It actually lives up to Microsoft's "all day" promises (also unlike the case with other Surface devices) and holds a charge for days. Other things that made me happy: The Duo's battery life is soooo much better than it is on other Surface devices. (Speaking of the SwiftKey keyboard, I often found it didn't automatically dismiss when I was done with it, but there's a down arrow in the left corner navigation bar below the keys that gets rid of it.) It's not lappable (you knew I had to go there), but the hinge is really nice and tight, making using this in tent mode, book mode and "compose" mode (like a tiny laptop, with the SwiftKey keyboard on the second screen) all very nice experiences. Unlike most Surface devices I've tried, the Duo feels properly balanced and weighted. What pleasantly surprised me: The Duo hardware is premium and drool-worthy. So how did it fare in my two weeks of testing? Here's my rundown. I was interested in the Duo because it purported to offer great mobility and productivity gains. Sadly, the Surface Go fell short for me on multiple of those counts and wasn't lappable or usable for real work because the detachable keyboard was too cramped and bouncy. I did initially have high hopes for the Surface Go, as I'm perpetually in search of a thin, light and very portable computing device with good battery life. I've not been a big fan of the majority of Surface PCs. I've had a chance in the past to test-drive a few Surface devices (some provided by Microsoft and some of which I purchased myself). I'm currently a happy Surface Laptop 3 and Pixel 3XL phone user. I'm hoping to address what "normal" users might want to know - along with a number of reader-supplied questions - about this new device. I am not attempting to provide readers with speeds, feeds or comparisons with other new phones or tablets. This is one of my usual "non-reviewer" reviews. It's an interesting concept, but it definitely feels like a Generation 1 solution that's in search of a problem more than a solution to a problem I have with mobile devices. Two weeks later, I have to say that I'm not sure that the Duo scratches any itch for me. Most of all, I wanted to know if using this device regularly would answer my biggest question: Why does it exist? What does it offer that a single screen mobile phone or tablet doesn't. I also was curious whether it could replace my current Android phone and/or Kindle. When I received a Microsoft Surface Duo dual-screen Android mobile device two weeks ago from Microsoft for review, I was curious how and if it could fit into my daily workflow. Microsoft just supercharged ChatGPT with Bing's AI-powered search
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