The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has had its last security update. Microsoft is ending support for the device, which received only one true Android update in its entire lifetime door, at the end of this month.
The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 has presumably received its last security update. After all, Microsoft is officially ending support for the device on Oct. 21. Three years after the launch of the original flip-open device, Redmond’s comeback in the smartphone market thus comes to an end.
The Surface Duo 2 never became a huge success, and Microsoft chose to be stepmotherly in its support for the expensive device. Despite the roughly $1,500 price tag at launch, the Surface Duo 2 received only one Android update: from Android 11 to Android 12L. That’s one less than the original Surface Duo, which launched on Android 10 and was likewise stranded on Android 12L.
Bought
Even by Android standards, this is very poor. Surely two to three system updates are the lower limit, and devices in the premium price range usually get more. Those who bought a Surface Duo or a Surface Duo 2 can safely feel a bit cheated.
Microsoft hoped to re-enter the smartphone market via an original form factor and integration with Windows. After mediocre execution of the first generations of Surface Duo devices, Redmond quickly grew tired of that new plan. Therefore, those who did believe in Microsoft’s plans received nothing more than the bare minimum of software support in the form of promised security updates.
Microsoft is positioning itself as an unreliable partner, at least when it comes to phones. If the manufacturer tries to play a role in the smartphone market again in the future, remember this story and stay away.