I did it. I finally got another new foldable.

​I tried the original Pixel Fold, and I even got the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and they just never really gave me what it was that I was looking for. The original Pixel Fold definitely had the form factor that I preferred, but it was frustrating that it wouldn't fold flat. What a weird oversight, even looking back today. However, I will say that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold was a good piece of kit. It was a good phone; it gave me a lot of the things that I really wanted in a foldable phone, and because it was Google-made, it had a good mix of hardware and software.

​There is nothing inherently wrong with it, except for the main problem that I have with all folding devices that are not the Surface Duo: the screen on the front cover is absolutely, completely, totally useful. There is nothing that can't be done on the front cover of a foldable. There is, in essence, absolutely no reason to unfold a folding device.

​The thing about the actual Surface Duo is that you were required to open it up every single time. It functionally asked you a question when you did this: Do you want to use one screen, or do you want to use two screens? There is never a question with a traditional folding phone if you want to use a single or two screens, because the option of one screen is always available.

​I do think that there is a benefit to having a single-screen phone at a specific size and aspect ratio, and then the availability of opening up a screen into a larger tablet-like experience. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, and it is a really cool, futuristic, science-fiction type of idea. However, nothing compares to the future that felt like actual multitasking that the Surface Duo gave. Especially the launcher, which I think has always been one of the most frustrating parts of any of these other Android devices, because when you open the screen, it's not two screens—it is just a single display that's large. You don't get anything that feels like legitimate multitasking. Even with the Fold 8, which I think does a very good job allowing you to open up multiple windows, sizing them side by side, three in a row—there's a lot of availability, but because it is still just a smallish tablet, there's no necessity to functionally use it because you're still operating it with your fingers.

​However, with the Surface Duo, the availability of using two apps side by side is what it is that I was looking for. It is what works so particularly well with a device like the Surface Duo, and no other device can even come close to touching it. The Fold 8, with its wider form factor, is definitely the form factor that I prefer to use. That's why I liked the original Google Pixel Fold, and maybe if that phone would have folded flat, I could have seen myself using it on a more regular basis. The Fold 7 is definitely something that is enjoyable to use as a single screen because of the form factor; it offers something different, an experience that feels fresh in a lot of unique ways, and then opening it up gives you that larger tablet-like experience.

​Even though I'm still not utilizing multi-form input multitasking the same way that was so prevalent and beautifully easy to use on the Surface Duo, I am enjoying the Fold 8. It is a good form factor. It is a fun-to-use phone. It is just nothing like the Surface Duo. The Surface Duo 2 is still, to me, the pinnacle of cell phone engineering and, honestly, fun thinking for a phone. It breaks my heart in the most stupid, first-world-problem ways because we'll never get a Surface Duo 3—something that we deserve and that we should have.

​Give me a multi-display phone, not a wide-screen phone.

to be fair its been a long time coming, the battery has been having issues for the past 4 months, but today it seems like it won't boot up

its such a shame. its literally the perfect form factor for me and I'm seriously considering buying a used duo 2, but I just know its also going to be another very close ticking time bomb

the foldables just DONT do it for me. no I DONT want a normal front screen when folded, with the duo you close it and you essentially don't need a phone case. and you can unfold the screen at full 360

I think I'm gonna go for the huawei pura x view. its not a foldable or two screen but the wide format is very appealing, and I'm so used to the wide screen on the duo. I'm gonna make a decision later today but atm I'm split between pura x view and used duo 2

any recs feel free to drop here. rip duo 2, you've been my fav phone for a very long time

My Duo has been working without issues since 2021 although it's never been my main phone so it's had limited wear and tear.

I've seen countless complaints about issues with the fingerprint sensor over the year but thankfully they never impacted me.

To all of a sudden a couple days ago I noticed they don't recognize my fingerprint. I tried going to the settings deleting my fingerprints and adding them but it won't let me add them I get some weird hardware error.

I did researching. There's a dozen or more posts, mostly from 2001ish. The most common answer seem to be that people tried factory resetting and it didn't work but then it would occasionally start working out of the blue again.

Anyway just curious if anybody who's been dealing with this more recently. I'm on Android 12 l on the OG surface Duo AT&t verThere's
The machine has been babied I've never even taken it out of the house or put a SIM card in it. But it might just be old....

Hi all,

My Surface Duo 2 has died and I'm trying to recover it. Symptoms:

- No display, no vibration, no response to the power button

- Draws a small current on the charger

- Power + Volume Down drops it into Qualcomm EDL mode (shows as QUSB_BULK / 05c6:9008) instead of fastboot

So the SoC is alive, but the boot chain seems broken. I've connected with bkerler's edl tool (V3.62) and the Sahara handshake works fine, but there's no matching loader in the Loaders repo:

HWID: 0x001350e100690044 (MSM_ID 0x001350e1, OEM_ID 0x0069, MODEL_ID 0x0044)

CPU: lahaina (SM8350)

PK_HASH: 9671f3d6922201ed2e8eaf18b66067650595594e06b4147d31c943b417585dab202cc0c384d724fb02a80da37cfbe3a1

Does anyone have a firehose programmer (prog_firehose_ddr.elf or similar) that matches this HWID/PK hash? I'd also be grateful for any pointers to a known-good partition backup or a method that has worked for restoring the boot partitions on a Duo 2.

My plan is to run printgpt read-only first, back up everything, and only then restore the boot partitions, probably using images from Microsoft's official recovery package.

I'm also happy to hear from anyone in Australia who has had a Duo 2 repaired, or from a shop with Qualcomm service tools that can handle Microsoft devices.

Thanks!

I purchased a Duo 2 from eBay and the device I received is a model sf c1 and hardware version EV3 Debug (9), which appears to be an engineering device. It also has Android 11 on it. Is there any way to upgrade an engineering device to the latest oem Android 12 build? I searched, but haven't found anything that works.

When I try to side load ota_c1-12-customer_2023.501.541, it fails at 47% with this error: Package is for product duo2 but expected c1.

I know it's a first world problem, but feels like I should do something with my Duo 2 other than let it further bit-rot in a cupboard. I already have an any Ayn Thor to play retro games on, so other ideas? Or just keep it as a museum piece?

Any ideas about a battery replacement. My duo 2 only goes to 10% so kinda just a expensive paperweight at the momen as dies almost instantly.

Any ideas on battery replacement in the UK?

Azahar does not support Surface Duo dual screen out-of-the-box. There is a fork that does, you can download the APK from the release assets: https://github.com/Slion/azahar/releases
That should make it a lot easier to get up and running. It's WIP, rough edges expected.
See also that post.

My Duo 2 has been doing some oddball things lately. Somehow I got signed out of my primary Bing account, and it won't let me sign back in. But it's only affecting my primary account, my other two accounts can sign into Bing just fine. It won't even let me sign into the MSN app on my primary account.

Another weird thing is that Here Maps keeps asking me to download new maps every time I activate Android Auto. Seemingly, it doesn't matter how many times I hit download, or delete the old map and install a fresh one, it keeps asking.

I figured, instead of trying to diagnose each issue individually, maybe I should just factory reset. But I don't know if that will just make the problem worse.

Do you think it's safe to factory reset, or is there some other method you'd recommend?

Thanks

This is a small quick guide I used not even an hour ago to unbrick mine from the dreaded frp lock that has turned a ton of these phones into paper weights.

Step One: Get into a web browser. You can do this by viewing terms and service and clicking on pretty much any link that takes you to a web browser. From there get to any frp bypss site like https://gsmneofrp.net/en/

Step Two: Once you are in virtually any frp bypass site click on the button there that takes you to screen lock set. Do pin and repeatedly input any 4 digit pin of your choice like 1111 or whatever. It will crash after confirm but just keep doing it. (It took 20 attempts for me) Eventually it will let you though and you can setup as normal.

Hurrah you can now use your awesome two screen phone! If you try this and it does not work for your phone please leave a comment so people can keep searching for bypass methods for these phones.

The reaction that made me ponder hard came from Hadjar Homaei, who wrote that she might have published her research if she were still at Microsoft.

“**Screaming into a pillow**

maybe if I was still at Microsoft I could’ve finally published the really fun psychophysics experiments I did on the dual screen’s effects on attention and multitasking… 7 years ago but couldn’t talk about anywhere!”

Microsoft wasn’t building a weird phone with two screens on a whim. When Surface Duo went up for preorder, Panos Panay said Microsoft’s internal research showed “three out of four people report struggling to complete complex tasks while away from their computer,” and that dual-screen devices “require less cognitive effort.”

From Windows Latest: https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/10/01/screamed-into-their-pillows-nadellas-former-advisor-on-the-iphone-duo-which-should-have-been-the-surface-duo-3/

I know I said no more presentation, and would apologize for overwhelming the community with so much information. I'm the type person, when something happening. I want to know why and dig deep. Also believe that Microsoft did realize they had printing press, everything just lined up that way by experience.

Once again back to aspect ratio I didn't know there was a Slab OS is 9:16, Apple and Android use this, they can not do wide-format foldables. The Duo actually exposed this open an app spand mode they gravity to the center you see in Apples with photo app. Where as Huawei the picture right edit on left.

4:3 logic and Harmony OS are design this way to work on wide-format device.

Windows phone is returning this year which I didn't know. Under Nexphone with Linux. I'm sure everyone remembers Zune and want it back. 4:3 logic with Zune works perfectly together, on Slab not so much. Zune would literally be competitor against YouTube which is locked on Slab OS. Also Xbox performs better on 4:3.

Sometimes trying find answers, you find the truth why things failed.

Recently I've been think about rolling back from Duo-DE to Stock Android 12L so I can't have the better dual-screen experience. I don't really care for banking to use freeform windows to approximate what Stock can do.

Is there anyone who has gone back to Stock from Duo-DE? To those running stock, and major issues with modern apps and retro console and handheld emulators?

Edit: Successfully flashed stock image. Sadly apps don't see the second display as an external screen so it takes a bit of configuring to get Cocoon, Azahar, and Melon/Watermelon DS to artificially get their single screen modes to work using both screens.

Within a printing press there's 2 forms of print full sheet, and fold. Surface Duo alignment landscape matches this perfectly by 4:3 logic, the display aspect ratio 3:2 is DSLR camera. The inner display is designed to replicate a full scale press, the hinge to fold a sheet in booklet form. The bezel frames the printed materials, the 11mp is exposure for printing plates or containers. Your photo editor is the control panel, I use Ente because it has collage feature built in, the only draw back there missing 3:2/2:3. I already send request to add. Another feature is printing, you create a PDF send to printer with instructions on A size paper.

The main reason why I'm doing this, there's a lot of unnecessary distractions on this device, that can pay for its self in a year. I first view this as phone at first, but when you see them poping up like wild fires, question it. The spec sheet is guide on device functionality. There's corrections needs me made I stated 84. When width of device is 85 that's starting point for a DSLR, and 4:3 it folds, the device isn't mini tablet it's tool. To simplify things if it 85 you have a wide-format tool kit.

Apple is misleading consumers by stating aspect 1.4:1 A5. There width 84.1 doesn't fit in the 4:3 logic when comes printing. It's still dual print, but you have to figured it on your because you can't send to printer home only. Apple needs remove name Duo.

Surface Duo 3, Huawei is the only one to adopt Surface Duo identity. From a fold, and just announced the first wide format Flagship. While doing this research I start building concept base of 4:3 logic it was easy for me. My background in print design, I was old school cut and paste designer, we produce grocery ads by hand.

Surface Duo maybe discontinued, buts 4:3 logic will carry on.

This will be my last presentation, this post as discussion page. On this spec sheet Google Pixel Fold 79.5 width height 139.7 During this time when opening Gmail at spand a portion was sitting on the fold. Samsung width 81.9 height 123.9 and Apple width 84.1 117.8 height. On 4:3 logic for wide format width must be odd whole number 85, the height even whole number 120. The wide format device are just composition notebook exact page size on both sides. When rip at the fold a 85 device and 87 device. Huawei foldable is in 4:3 logic. Printing press goes by whole numbers, so does apps because you can print app page. Looking at these numbers except Apple which is close, the other 2 are trying to stand narrow and tall format. Instead of being a true wide-format device, this device gives you 3:5 x 3:5 aspect ratio which as about 3x5 index card. That equate to a DSLR camera, what I think is they don't want that option. Camera like the 1020, and the Pureview9, both Huawei devices use this camera. DSLR cameras produce wide and horizontal pictures, can do horizontal group photos, zoom in for portraits. DSLR can in zoom in more accurately, than camera that is computerized. DSLR 35mm film are process in a darkroom, or digital raw images without drain on the battery. This defines wide - format the image is produced 3:2 horizontal/vertical this why 85 matter. Take a look at Huawei Pura X View.

If this an option let's have discussion... Linux/Microsoft hybrid, Linux in front Microsoft in the background

Hey, today I want to show you a minimalist Terminal style launcher that was build to be working nicely with the Duo.

It is highly costomizable but far from a solution for everybody. It lacks icons on purpose. Every app is only 1 to 3 letters away. Oftentimes I only need one letter to open the app. It supports aliases for shortcuting everything you need, you can start a websearch or call your contacts directly from one command line. With the help of a suggestion bar it is always fast and gets out of your way.

And the best part is that you can even use it when the input field is overlayed by an app, as you can simply swap the sites with one button.

The app is a further development of an old Launcher called T-Ui.

It is called Re:T-Ui and developed by u/DvilSpawn who is always open for new input and was willing to do all the work to bring the features to the launcher just for me, until now. Maybe some people around here will find it interesting as there are basically no fully working launchers on this niche devices.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dvil.tui_renewed

Or

https://re-tui.pages.dev/download

This shift took 6 years to happen, it wasn't about who was first, it was the progression in phone design within the 4:3 foot print. Each of these have their own identity, functionality, and consumer. The specific sheet will tell what type media printablity on each. 9:16 can print tickets, the foldable handouts. New foldables are based of DSLR format 3:2 horizontal/vertical. Apple Duo aspect ratio 1.41.4 is paper size A5. Duo means dual screen printing. The companion for 9:16 was Surface Duo the 9:16 are already has identity established. The Surface Duo single screen device right in middle, but it's Huawei Pura X View. Surface Duo is tool kit on how apps function to even design. The new lineup is more than viewing content it can generate a revenue stream, if understand functionality of Surface Duo. Which I can see why it's hard to have marketing campaign, Apple couldn't do. Single screen or closed foldable media print size spec sheet width of the device 84-87 that's 3x5 media. The Huawei version 87 3mm narrow than the Duo, about same height. Phone's should be reviewed by identity not just the camera, trying to put 9:16 camera system in a tool kit when it already has identity and functionality.

This is the return of Windows Phone identity, this form factor a natural environment for a new launcher. When the was Duo release there was a shift that happen a new standard. A tool for developer's, any designer, and learning. Surface Duo is printing press within a 4:3 cameras container. When designing apps the code should be spand all aspect ratio, now if 9:16 is sitting in island, based on cameras container it needs be unlocked set to all aspect ratio. Now that folds are here expanding app will be address because they will see what been dealing with. The container is building apps for the Duo.

Sets a standard for camera container starts with 12mp w f/1.8 anchor point. To build a system known as Fusion after the anchor, telephoto, ultrawide, TOF, flash and if feeling creative raw sensor and color sensor. The Surface Duo 2 combination of sensors is 40 mp a standard camera with flexibility. Nokia Pureview 9 is at 9:16 with 5 12mp sensors at 60 mp, 2 color sensors, raw sensors. Both devices are about the same height, width 9:16 fits in when crop a picture in 4:3. This how a printing press works. Let's say you go off script, the device battery will be less efficient, and run hot. When taking a picture, the display horizontal the field of view is more precise, if the view extend past the standard more power is needed

Foldables are actual shorter and width about 84mm a Fusion set at 48mp will give you a DSLR camera, and capable to print 3x5 square photos.

With the assist Copilot and my background in cut and paste design, and screening print. It start to make sense, while trying all sceneros, a concept stand alone device started to take shape, width of portable printer. The height in line with the Duo and the iPhone X. I designed to be cinematic, with Pureview DNA.

Is anybody going follow no, but if there's issues you know why. The device I design, tested battery endurance on how the camera sensor impact the battery the zoom sensor is challenge. In photo editors app on the Duo when you crop image you'll see how printing press works and how much 9:16 takes away. They should remove free from, the editor is a control panel for print.

The Surface Duo has set 2 new categories: Foldable DSLR, Portrait DSLR

Got this from a friend. Said he updated, and it stopped working, its been sitting in a box off for 3 years. Opened it up, goes straight to boot load screen with Start - Recovery Mode - Power off. Shows the bootloader Version, the SN: and a QR code. Every option goes straight back to that page. IT guys have told me they need an EDL Image? or something like that. I've seen others with the same issue... please tell me someone out there has a fix! I took this instead of repayment... i hope I'm not screwed... but thanks ahead of time.

Each device has it's own identity when setting a stage for content. The 2 pictures where taken on the Surface Duo 11mp wide camera. A DSLR camera is 2:3 for portraits, and 3:2 is for landscape. To achieve this vertically width, the height, and the screen display size which is around 6.5,the Duo's spec, 4:3 this what see on the screen vertical and 3:4 horizontal. The first image is vertical at 4:3, the collage picture bottom is the original top is portraits, and last is 9:16. The screen shot is 3:4 vertical, 9:16 reel and a 2:3. The last image landscape set at the display ratio horizontally and vertical 3:4. All these aspect fall into a category of DSLR camera, the sensor is your anchor to build of. You can print these images on portable printer on 3.5x3.5 paper.

I just got a duo 1, mostly for testing and maybe some other attempts.
Started with a factory reset, everything was fine for about half an hour then the onscreen keyboard disappeared and only Google Voice Typing is available.
Open input and that’s the only option.
Disable all google apps, disable assistant in google …
Had to attach a Bluetooth keyboard to enter my pass code to reset.
Tried a factory reset, google voice is back. Trying again

I’ll be damned if I can find the setting in google or android.

Hi everyone, I'm the developer of ScreenSpan. It lets you place two or more Android phones side by side and use them as a single, larger screen, in landscape or portrait.

A few technical details, since I know this sub cares about how things actually work: one phone acts as the source (the one whose screen gets extended) and the others act as secondary displays. To capture and stream the source phone's screen content, the app needs privileged access at the system level. I built this directly into the app using wireless debugging: you pair it once with the source phone (like pairing a new device for ADB), and after that it's done, no need to repeat it. The phones then connect to each other over Wi-Fi Direct, which takes just a few seconds and doesn't need a Wi-Fi network or internet. The number of phones you can combine depends on the processing power of the source phone.

Two short demo videos:

https://youtube.com/shorts/S_XVIL5fqP8 https://youtube.com/shorts/8s-8yorUNbc

It's free to use for 15 minutes a day, with an annual subscription for unlimited use.

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=olmelli.ing.technology.screenspan

Github:

https://github.com/Laerte1989/screenspan-app/

Happy to answer any technical questions about how it works.

Camera sensors set stage for your device there's 2 sensors 3:2 which is DSLR, and 4:3 standard. These sensor should fit in a container the same size of the device, it should be natural process. The height of the device factors in as well. This is benefit of using a wide-format device. Everything should feel natural.

It's hard to believe it's been 6 years ago the Surface Duo was released. It had some attention, but after Surface Duo 2 nothing. I've been using Duo since release, earlier this year I was thinking about getting secondary regular phone, but the current phone's feels different. Now here we go again passport foldables is trending. My question is why Microsoft choice to go with wide-format instead standard 9:16. This perspective is not being discussed, it's all the expand display, the crease, and of course the camera.

So I checked Surface Duo 2 spec, on the display screen size 5.8 at 4:3 aspect ratio. This aspect ratio is key in so many ways. With Copilot assist I took a deep dive on wide-format stand alone/foldables. To understand the pros and cons of the different form factors when comes content, and camera functionality. The camera plays major role in these form factors, the camera aspect 3:2-4:3.

The standard phone is 9:16 aspect ratio, creates tall narrow images for social media content. The camera setup on these device, use individual sensors that are over sized to try maintain image quality due cameras aspect ratio. This phone is basically a social media reader.

The wide-format for foldables/stand-alone device has multiple aspect ratio each gives a different feel within 5.8 display, 3:2 a dslr, 4:3 mini tablet, 1.41.1 laptop. Viewing content is more natural it doesn't feel cramped. With the camera you maintain image quality what see on the main screen is what you get. For camera setup I look back Microsoft spec they use the following 12 MP wide 12 MP telephoto 16 MP ultrawide TOF 3d. When combined the sensors the camera is 30 MP, this is a Fusion system. Nokia use the same system as will. During the day you get 30 MP, for low light Fusion system binning pixel from the ultra-wide so roughly you get about 20 MP the higher ultra-wide sensor you gain more light at night. In this setup ultra-wide sensor needs be bigger than the wide, to control low light. An example of this Nokia Pureview 9 they 5 12 MP sensor with 2xrgb 3xb/w sensors. With a Fusion setup it can be low profile sensor.

When comes apps functionality it's actually not that complicated, the aspect ratio is a container. Going from 9:16 to vertical on wide-format is fine, it's horizontal that needs be optimized to expand on orientation. Expanding apps need some form of menu system.

If this what Microsoft was thinking about for this form factor, you have multiple options from hinge design, stand alone device and foldables. Now it's here will see