Microsoft Surface Duo 2 listing reveals Snapdragon 888 and 8GB of RAM

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By Alan Martin
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Surface Duo 2 just showed up on Geekbench

Microsoft Surface Duo review: A beautiful disaster
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Surface Duo 2 could fix one of the original's biggest flaws. Last fall, Microsoft released its first phone in four years with the Surface Duo – a very different take on the foldable trend with a clamshell design that opened up to reveal two screens with a clear divide between them.

Judging by subsequent discounting, it didn’t set the world alight: the phone’s $1,400 price was quickly slashed, falling as low as $410 at one point. And as our Surface Duo review points out, part of the reason could well be the underwhelming specs. With 2019’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 powering things, it felt like the internals didn't live up to the innovative design. 

But it looks like Microsoft has listened to feedback with the Surface Duo 2. A new entry on Geekbench lists the Surface Duo 2 as packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip, the same processor that features in the Samsung Galaxy S21 and OnePlus 9 Pro. Plus, there's an extra 2GB RAM versus last year, taking it to 8GB. The device is listed as using Android 11.

Microsoft Surface Duo 2

(Image credit: Tech Rat | YouTube)

Although not the very latest chipset – that would be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus – these specs would certainly make the Surface Duo 2 more competitive than its predecessor. Other leaks suggest that this generation of Surface Duo will be a revision rather than a revolution, with a similar design spotted in leaks earlier this year, albeit with a triple camera this time around. The camera was another weak spot on the original, so it’s certainly encouraging to see Microsoft focusing on making improvements there for the Surface Duo 2.

Windows Central also believes that the handset will fix a few other issues we had with the last version: NFC will supposedly be introduced for contactless payments; the screens will offer a “higher refresh rate"' and we should see a larger battery. Plus, of course, the new chipset means the phone will also support 5G.

The million-dollar question is, however, how much will Microsoft will charge for the new handset. The original wasn’t what you would call competitively priced until Microsoft began to aggressively slash the price, and this time around the company faces Samsung’s new, refined foldables that have price cuts of their own. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is $200 cheaper than the previous generation (albeit still extremely expensive at $1,800), while the Galaxy Z Flip 3 now starts at $999.

Hopefully we’ll know Microsoft’s plans soon enough, with rumors pointing to a reveal towards the end of September or the start of October, possibly alongside a radically redesigned Surface Book 4.         

Alan Martin
Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.

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1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • JMC75
    I'm excited to see what this device has to offer.

    The upgraded hardware is a welcome improvement, although, like a lot of folk out there, I have some serious questions about that camera. I sincerely hope Microsoft are going to add an external screen to act as a viewfinder and quick settings/notifications centre, much like the galaxy flip external screen, but who knows.

    Either way, I think I'll opt in and buy one. I used the original duo for a couple of weeks and sent it back. The hardware was lacking and the software was extremely buggy.

    If they can improve the hardware, build it from more premium materials (the plastic outer on the Duo 1 was not up to standard), add a better camera and small external screen, massively improve the software, and keep it in the £1300-1500 price range, it'll be well worth giving it a go.

    Also...pipedream stuff, but W11 rather then Android. But that's not going to happen any time soon.
    Reply