Saturday, September 26, 2020
Both phones are expensive and do new things, but they are also very different experiences.
Microsoft's Surface Duo and Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2 appear to be very similar on paper, but in reality, they are radically different devices. The Fold 2 is an Android tablet that folds to become a smaller phone, while Surface Duo is a thin Android phone with two displays.
But what does that difference get you for functionality? YouTube tech reviewer Erica Griffin did what I would argue is the best task-oriented direct comparison between these two "folding" devices. While it is easy to make it a spec contest, Griffin's video drives home the advantages that dual displays bring to multitasking (while also highlighting what the Fold 2 excels at).
The question about dual screens versus foldable will rage on, but the reality is this: they both offer unique and differing advantageous functionality. Which you think is better comes down to personal preference. Do you want to do more side-by-side work, or do you enjoy one large display for consumption?
(Left) Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs (Right) Microsoft Surface Duo.
The hard part for most consumers these days is accepting that "smartphones" can be as unique and specific as the world of PCs. Up until 2020, smartphones were all variants of single-screen slab design — the same designs we've had since 2007. Toss in an OS, improve the camera, do something funky to the display, and that is it.
Now, for the first time, tech enthusiasts are grappling with multiple mobile devices with specific and sometimes niche functionality. Laptops are like this, too, with 360-hinge convertibles, workstations, 17-inch gaming laptops, thin clients, Ultrabooks, media machines, enterprise workhorses, tablets with keyboards, and detachable screens. Is a four-pound ThinkPad X1 Extreme workstation better than a thin client laptop like the ARM-powered Galaxy Book S? It depends on what you want to do.
Anyway, grab a coffee and see what Griffin has to say when comparing Surface Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 2 as it is eye-opening, objective, and convincing.
Now available (in the U.S.)
Microsoft Surface Duo
From $1,400 at Microsoft From $1,400 at Best Buy From $47/mo at AT&T
Two screens are better than one.
Microsoft delves into the future of foldables with an ambitious dual-screen device, featuring two ultra-thin 5.6-inch AMOLED displays bound by a 360-degree hinge. This pocketable inking-enabled Android smartphone marks the latest in the Surface lineup, geared for mobile productivity.
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