This Microsoft Surface Duo Software Tour is Worth a Watch

The Microsoft Surface Duo is a device I am so completely torn about. On one hand, I’m sure it will be quite premium knowing the quality of Microsoft’s other Surface products, plus there is something pulling me to the Duo during this pandemic life because I’m never going to stop looking for the perfect couch companion. On the other hand, well, those rumored specs still make me sad.

As we inch closer to a possible launch, a lengthy software tour from the folks at Windows Central now has me back being excited again. After watching the 24-minute clip below, you should walk away knowing just how fun this device might be to use.

Since the Surface Duo runs Android, you get the normal Android experience you already know, like full-screen gestures, the apps you use each day, a shelf off to the left side of the home screen with useful info, a way to easily make folders, a familiar set of settings and notification area, etc. But as you watch this tour, you see how the multi-tasking of two apps or the way an app can offer two experiences across both screens will be very useful.

One example shown is a shortcut you can create that lets you open two apps at the same time, one on each screen. Like let’s say you often run Twitter and YouTube TV in your phone with a picture-in-picture setup – you could do that with a single tap, only with a full second screen running YouTube TV. You could also open Microsoft’s file manager, tap on a file, and then watch as it opens on the second screen to let you edit a document, photo, that sort of thing. You can drag text from one screen to the next, assuming you are having a conversation in one and need text from the other. You get the idea.

This video also shows how to take advantage of all of the gestures Microsoft built-in, customizing their shelf area, what the lock screen looks like, how similar notifications are to any Android device’s, and more. If you were at all interested in the Surface Duo, give this a look.