Like any first-gen forward-thinking product aiming to (eventually) disrupt and upend the established standards and accepted conventions of a huge industry, the Surface Duo is… not perfect. Similar to Samsung’s deeply flawed original Galaxy Fold, Microsoft’s dual-screen device may also seem wildly overpriced to the average power user, who can easily score a significantly faster and more feature-packed phone for well below $1,000 nowadays.
The unlocked Surface Duo is discounted for the very first time with absolutely no strings attached, fetching $200 less than usual in both 128 and 256GB storage variants. Even better, if you don’t mind meeting one simple requirement, Best Buy will let you save an extra $100. All you have to do to drop the aforementioned $1,399.99 starting price to a considerably more palatable $1,099.99 is activate the flexible Android 10-powered handset right off the bat on your favorite US carrier from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile-owned Sprint.
Otherwise, there are no special conditions to take into consideration, no device trade-ins required, no number port-ins, no nothing. The 256 gig configuration, in case you’re wondering, typically costs $1,499.99, a price point that you can take all the way down to $1,199.99 with upfront carrier activation at Best Buy or $1,299.99 with no strings attached whatsoever at the same major nationwide retailer, as well as Microsoft itself.
Keep in mind that both variants come with an unimpressive (by today’s $1,000+ standards) 6GB RAM count, as well as no microSD card slot. The Surface Duo also packs Qualcomm’s flagship smartphone chipset… from last year, while settling for a single 11MP camera doing double duty as a selfie and “primary” shooter.
Speed junkies may find the absence of 5G support in this day and age pretty disappointing too, but those 5.6-inch AMOLED displays, that marvelous 360-degree hinge, and the insane 4.8mm profile in the unfolded mode might entice more than a few daring consumers to give this bad boy a whirl at its new all-time low price.
