Microsoft Surface Duo is great for Game Pass, but it sucks at just about everything else

microsoft surface duo
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Microsoft Surface Duo is a beautiful device with a unique dual-screen premise (versus a true folding one like the Galaxy Z Fold 3). But with so many caveats, the Surface Duo is not a phone/tablet anyone in their right mind would recommend as a main device. 

If, however, you're really into the cloud gaming aspect of Xbox Game Pass, the Surface Duo is one of the best phones for that. The reason being that, in games with touch controls enabled, the second screen can act as a touchpad, turning the Surface Duo into a Nintendo DS-like gadget.

There are just two problems. The first being that it requires actually using a Surface Duo in any capacity (any amount of money is too much for this thing), and the second being that not all games that work on the Android version of Game Pass support touch controls. Many still require an external controller, something I think Microsoft should have improved by this point. You're therefore left in a worse spot than if you just used a controller.

I used the Surface Duo as my exclusive Game Pass device for a couple of weeks — I couldn't wait to go back to a regular phone. Here are my thoughts.

Using the Surface Duo for Game Pass

Microsoft Surface Duo review: A beautiful disaster

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I like to play Game Pass games on my phone, mostly Maneater and NieR: Automata. The latter works with the Surface Duo's secondary screen setup, as do several others like Hades. But you're nonetheless limited, notably in shooters like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Destiny 2, and even Halo 5.

Even if those were supported, I think I'd have trouble adjusting to touch controls in those fast-paced moments. The benefit of a physical medium like a controller or keyboard is the tactile response to input. There's no such thing on the touch controls for Game Pass games.

It also doesn't help that the layout on the Surface Duo's second screen is different for each game. Hopping between NieR: Automata and Hades, for example, required re-learning the whole control scheme. It baffled me that Microsoft has not instituted a universal input layout for Game Pass on Android. It's downright disappointing.

At the end of the couple of weeks I spent with the Surface Duo, I was itching to go back to a traditional smartphone with a controller. Part of that had to do with the tactility thing, but also for ergonomics — holding the Surface Duo like a DS and reaching for the buttons can be quite tiring, if you're even able to hit them all.

The problems with the Surface Duo

Microsoft Surface Duo review: A beautiful disaster

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

As cool as this whole dual-screen thing is, it doesn't take away from the fact that the Microsoft Surface Duo just sucks at almost everything a phone/tablet should do.

Hell, it doesn't even have Android 11 yet and Android 12 is right around the corner. This is a botched attempt by Microsoft to get into the Android space after the failure that was Windows Phone. I know some of you fans of Microsoft's dead mobile OS might hate me for that, but I used it and it was never good. I digress.

But some might argue that the Surface Duo is meant to be more of a tablet than a phone, and I'd agree. But when you look at something like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which is both a phone and a tablet, you start to wonder where in the world the Surface Duo fits in. The Fold 3 is far more pocketable than than Microsoft's device, too.

The Surface Duo has little going in its favor. From underwhelming performance to no 5G and a bad camera, it fails to make a case for itself. It still has glitches and oddities so long after its release, and it was far too expensive when it launched.

Outlook: Wait for Surface Duo 2?

Microsoft Surface Duo review: A beautiful disaster

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I don't think anyone should buy a smartphone or tablet for one purpose only — that's just an poor use of money for most people. As it stands right now, the Surface Duo is a one trick pony, offering the best Game Pass experience for the titles that support touch controls.

But if you spring for something like the Razer Kishi, you can turn the best Android phones into powerful Game Pass devices. They'll also be better at most other tasks, too, like being phones.

I think the Surface Duo is neat and I appreciate Microsoft trying something new. But novelty alone does not make a good device, and the Surface Duo is far from a good device. It's a bad phone, and it's a lackluster tablet. It could have been OK somewhere in the middle, but it even failed to accomplish that. 

If the rumors are true and Microsoft is readying a Surface Duo 2, we would like to see better cameras, a faster processor and the latest version of Android. Maybe then the Surface Duo can be more than a gaming device. 

Jordan Palmer
Phones Editor

Jordan is the Phones Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all things phone-related. He's written about phones for over six years and plans to continue for a long while to come. He loves nothing more than relaxing in his home with a book, game, or his latest personal writing project. Jordan likes finding new things to dive into, from books and games to new mechanical keyboard switches and fun keycap sets. Outside of work, you can find him poring over open-source software and his studies.

Read more
Photograph of the SteelSeries Stratus Duo controller
SteelSeries Stratus Duo Controller review
iPhone 16 Pro Max gaming.
I ditched my Legion Go to game on the iPhone 16 Pro Max — here's what happened
PlayStation Portal being tested.
PlayStation Portal review
Lenovo Legion Go
Lenovo Legion Go S review — I'd wait for the SteamOS version
Asus rog flow z13
I tried the Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) — it’s what you’d get if the Steam Deck and a gaming laptop had a baby
The Playdate handheld in hand at an airport with an airplane in the background
I finally tried the Playdate and it was so much fun I left my Switch at home for the first time in years
Latest in Phones
iPhone 17 Pro render
iPhone 17 Pro Max leak claims it’s ready for production — and seems to confirm its new design
Google Gemini vs GPT 4o
ChatGPT just got a massive update that lets you replace Gemini on your Android phone
iPhone 16e review.
iPhone 16e is facing Bluetooth problems — here's what's going on
Google Pixel 9a render
Google Pixel 9a pre-orders could come with a free Google TV Streamer — what we know
Galaxy S25 Ultra cameras
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could feature a camera upgrade we haven't seen since the Galaxy S10
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Everything we know so far
Latest in Opinion
Adam Scott and Britt Lower in "Severance."
'Severance' season 2 episode 9 sets the stage for an epic season finale — here's why
Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura in Apple TV Plus' crime drama, 'Dope Thief'
Ridley Scott's new Apple TV Plus crime thriller is one of my top 10 shows of the year so far
iOS 19 logo on an iPhone
iOS 19 risks turning Apple Intelligence into the new Siri — and that's not good
Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) , Keats (Chris Pratt) and Dr. Amherst (Ke Huy Quan) in "The Electric State" on Netflix
Netflix’s new sci-fi movie with Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt is now streaming — and it’s an action-packed blockbuster
(L-R) Natasha Lyonne as Rachel, Elizabeth Olsen as Christina and Carrie Coon as Katie in "His Three Daughters" streaming on Netflix in September 2024
I’ve streamed 38 Netflix movies in the last year — here’s the 5 best you’ve (probably) haven’t seen
A woman purchases on the edge of the Plank Firm mattress in a bedroom, a Tom's Guide Sleep Week 2025 deals graphic (left)
I've tried everything to improve my sleep, but hacks and tricks don't work unless you have the right mattress
  • Mreric66
    Your so wrong it's more than what you say. It's also not a gaming machine. Most people into tech wouldn't use an experimental machine as their daily driver but just to see how things work. It works well as a media consumption whilst doing other things. You couldn't have tried it out apart from gaming. Your post is child like.
    Reply