Where is the Microsoft Surface Duo 3?

Microsoft’s hardware event saw the announcement of a number of interesting devices. From the new Surface Laptop 5, through the upgraded Surface Pro 9 lineup, to a more powerful than ever (and wildly expensive) Surface Studio 2 Plus - there was a little something for everyone.

Well, excluding smartphone geeks that is. The Surface Duo line, Microsoft’s novel dual-screen smartphone, was one of the few devices in the company’s Surface portfolio to not receive a refresh. This means that fans of Microsoft’s smartphones will likely be stuck with an older device for quite some time.

Nevertheless, this is not the end of the Surface Duo. Luckily, some time ago, we received confirmation that Microsoft has not discontinued the Duo lineup. The company believes in the form factor’s potential and is still committed to delivering a Surface Duo 3 (which could even potentially adopt a foldable screen).

One of the major pitfalls of the Surface Duo is the lack of proper software optimisation. The only update on the Surface Duo at Microsoft’s event was the fact that the company is working on a redesigned version of Android 12L, specifically for the device.

This information was originally borough forward by Windows Central in a dedicated article. According to the source, Microsoft has added its own design language to Google’s software for a truly unique version of Android which is set to debut later this year.

This gives many hope for the future of Microsoft’s smartphone. The Surface Duo has been, admittedly, a very problematic device. But that is to be expected given that it is a one-of-a-kind machine, which virtually has no parallel.

Microsoft is indeed venturing into uncharted territory with the Duo, for better or worse. Nevertheless, it would be a shame to see the latter lost in a sea of cookie-cutter smartphone designs. Let us hope that the Duo is here to stay.