Microsoft reportedly puts the kibosh on cheaper mid-range Surface Duo 2 "Lite"

It appears that Microsoft was working on a more affordable version of its dual-screened Android-powered Surface Duo handset. The phone was listed on eBay as a Surface Duo 2 "dev unit" although eBay has since removed the phone's listing from its site. Spotted by Windows Central, this 'lite' version of the handset was powered by an upper mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset compared to the Snapdragon 888 driving the regular variant of the Surface Duo 2.

The "lite" version of the Surface Duo 2 had a design that is a bit more rounded, and the case featured a matte finish, a plastic and glass build, and a smaller camera bump on the back. Unlike the regular Surface Duo 2, both displays were flat, not curved. Windows Central's sources even gave up the code name of the device which was "Cronos." The Surface Duo 2 "lite" was expected to be released later this year as a more affordable version of the Surface Duo 2.

The Surface Duo 2 features a pair of 5.8-inch AMOLED panels both with a resolution of 1344 x 1892. The glass is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, and refreshes at 90Hz. When the two displays are open, it creates a larger tablet-sized 8.3-inch screen. The device is equipped with 8GB of memory along with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage. The rear camera array consists of a 12MP primary camera, a 12MP Telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, and a 16MP Ultra-wide camera.

The Surface Duo 2 supports 5G, although it isn't clear whether the "lite" version would have. But the bottom line is that the "lite" version of the Surface Duo 2 has been taken out to the back and put out of its misery by Microsoft. Instead, the company is believed to be working now on the full-priced Surface Duo 3. Additionally, Microsoft is said to be working on a version of Android 12L for both the Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2. This is the version of Android developed for larger screen and foldable devices. Reportedly, it will be ready to be disseminated sometime in the next few months.

The now removed eBay listing for the Surface Duo 2 Lite included a price of $750, roughly half of the basic version of the regular Surface Duo 2. Still, it is hard to talk about pricing considering that the more affordable mid-range version of the device has been scrubbed by Microsoft.