Microsoft confirms Surface Duo will arrive on September 10, cost $1,399

Something to look forward to: Recent rumors claiming that Microsoft’s Surface Duo dual-screen Android device would be launching soon have proved accurate: the phone arrives on September 10 and is priced at $1,399. Pre-orders are available today at AT&T, while unlocked models, which support Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, are available at Microsoft’s online store and Best Buy.

It was a couple of weeks ago when we heard that the Surface Duo would arrive at the end of this month. The rumored date wasn’t too far off.

The Duo consists of two separate 5.6-inch OLED displays (1,800 x 1,350) with a 4:3 aspect ratio that connect together using a “revolutionary 360-degree hinge” to form an 8.1-inch overall workspace (2,700 x 1,800) with a 3:2 aspect ratio.

It also includes an 11-megapixel f/2.0 camera, which will include auto modes for low light, HDR multi-frame captures, and a “super zoom” up to 7x. Both 4K and 1080p video recording will be supported at 30fps and 60fps. Microsoft claims the Duo’s 4.8mm unfolded thickness makes it “the thinnest mobile device on the market.”

The Duo features two batteries, one beneath each display, offering a total of 3,577mAh of capacity. That’s less than some devices, though Microsoft promises “all-day battery life.” No support for wireless charging, 5G, or NFC, sadly. It also uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 from last year, rather than the newer Snapdragon 855+, and has 6GB of RAM.

That $1,399 price makes it $100 more expensive than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and slightly pricier than the Galaxy Z Flip, but it’s a lot cheaper than the original $2,000 Galaxy Fold and $100 less than the Motorola Razr’s starting price. Samsung hasn’t revealed the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 rival, though it’s thought to cost around $1,980.

Using two apps simultaneously on separate screens does look interesting, and developers have the option of optimizing their apps to span both displays. Whether that’s enough to get past the high price and some of its shortcomings remains to be seen.