Microsoft Surface Duo leak reveals all the specs — we have bad news

Since unveiling the Microsoft Surface Duo late last year, Microsoft has been pretty quiet regarding the status of its promising dual-screen Android phone. But a massive new leak has revealed nearly all of the key specs for the Surface Duo, painting a picture of an interesting foldable device that could have some notable drawbacks.

We already knew that the Surface Duo is set to pack two 5.6-inch displays connected by a hinge, with each screen touting a 1800 x 1350 resolution. That’s on top of Surface Pen support for jotting down notes and performing gestures. But now that the Surface Duo is reportedly in the hands of Microsoft employees for at-home testing, Windows Central has secured a full spec sheet for the upcoming phone. 

Windows Central reports that the Duo will feature a Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM and a choice of 64GB or 256GB of storage. The phone’s displays are AMOLED screens with a pixel density of 401, and there will be a lone 11MP camera sensor on top of the right display that doubles as both a front and rear camera.

Microsoft’s dual-screen phone will also reportedly have a 3,460mAh battery, which Windows Central’s sources say won’t have enough juice to keep up with the longest lasting phones. It’s worth noting that that battery is smaller than the 4,000mAh pack in the Samsung Galaxy S20, which lasted a somewhat underwhelming 9 hours and 30 minutes on our test. Considering that the Duo packs two screens, we’re eager to see what kind of power-efficiency tools Microsoft has up its sleeve to prevent battery drain. 

Also of note is the phone’s Snapdragon 855 processor, which has already been succeeded by the newer Snapdragon 865 found in devices such as the Galaxy S20 and Sony Xperia 1 II. According to Windows Central, this is because all Snapdragon 865 phones are required to have a dedicated 5G chip, a standard that came about well after the Duo’s design was reportedly finalized. This means that the Duo won’t support 5G, but it could also lead to the phone being cheaper than pricey foldable flagships like the $1,380 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. 

Windows Central reports that the Surface Duo is still on track to launch this year, and could even come earlier than its initial Holiday 2020 release window. The same can’t be said for Microsoft’s Surface Neo dual-screen Windows 10 PC, which the company has put on hold in order to focus on affordable, cloud-based Windows 10X machines.