Microsoft’s Surface Duo has remained exclusive in the United States since its launch in September 2020, but the company is now fulfilling its promise to launch the device internationally. In a flurry of news published this morning, Microsoft confirmed that its ambitious dual-screen smartphone will go on sale in the UK, France, Germany and Canada on February 18.
UK fans will be able to purchase their Duos at Currys PC World and directly from Microsoft, with prices starting at £ 1,349. The company also closed similar distribution deals with FNAC and Darty in France, together with Saturn and MediaMarkt in Germany, where the Duo will be sold for € 1,549. (At the time of publication, Microsoft has not yet released its Canadian prices.)
The company also brought good news to potential Surface Duo owners a little closer to home: at least for now, the device now sells for only $ 999, compared to the original $ 1,399. While we can’t say whether this is a permanent price cut yet, it’s a clear sign that Microsoft wants to give Duo a chance to fight in a year when rivals like Samsung are prioritizing “more affordable” – in other words, cheaper – foldable.
Although Microsoft doesn’t normally like to call it one, the Surface Duo is the company’s first new smartphone since the 2015 Lumia 950 and 950 XL – a pair of devices that more or less failed early on. In the years that followed, we saw the quality of Microsoft’s hardware soar, and the Surface Duo could be one of the best expressions of the company’s engineering talent. Unfortunately, the first wave of analytics units appeared to have been affected by inconsistent and inelegant software, resulting in analyzes that killed much of the initial hype that Microsoft hoped to capitalize on. In most reports, however, the situation for the Surface Duo software has visibly improved thanks to a series of semi-regular updates – between that additional polish and this new price cut, the Duo may have a chance to shine now in a way it couldn’t almost six months ago.