The software on the original Surface Duo was really buggy
Most of the people who reviewed last year’s Surface Duo walked away with a sour taste in their mouths. The hardware was nice, and the overall aesthetic was pleasant, but the software experience left much to be desired; it was very poorly optimized for the Duo’s eccentric form factor. This is an issue for a lot of different devices that try to make Android do something it wasn’t built to do. Sure, Android has had multitasking since version 7, but the Surface Duo really forced the software into a tough position.
An Android 11 update might fix the main issue with the Surface Duo
One great thing about the Android 11 update for the Surface Duo is that this platform is a lot more friendly to split-screen multitasking natively. This could add a lot of value to the original Surface Duo because it was great hardware bogged down by buggy software. Giving the original Surface Duo the Android 11 update might give the device a second wind. Microsoft didn’t give us an exact date to expect the Android 11 OTA to launch. The company only said by the end of the year, which doesn’t say much. That gives owners a possible three months to wait.
But, the Surface Duo 2 is right around the corner
We can’t forget about the recently announced Surface Duo 2. This device will launch with necessary fixes to the hardware and software. What’s more is that it might be built from the ground up for Android 11, whereas the original Surface is merely adopting it. This could cause a bit of competition among the two generations. “Should I get the new model, or should I save a few hundred dollars and pick up an original?” The Surface Duo 2 will launch at $1499, whereas the original can be bought for under $500 in some cases. If Android 11 fixes the main issues that plagued the original Duo, then the second generation might be a hard sell.
In other news, Windows 11 is just around the corner!
Folks who are excited for the next generation of Windows won’t need to wait for much longer. The biggest update to Windows in years is set to become available October 5th; that’s just under 3 weeks away. The new Surface Pro X will launch the same day, and it will come with Windows 11 loaded.
