The Surface Duo finally goes to Android 11! After months of promises, false hopes and waiting, the dual-screen Android smartphone has just received the update. We take stock of the new features brought by the firmware.
Remember: in 2019, Microsoft made a big comeback in the mobile phone market by launching the Surface Duo, a dual-screen Android smartphone. Offered in early 2021 on the French market, the phone was released under Android 10, the OS preinstalled from the factory.
Quickly, Microsoft pledged to bring the Android 11 update to the dual-screen smartphone. At first, the American giant ensured that the operating system would be updated in the weeks following the launch. It did not happen. Microsoft then committed to offering Android 11 sometime last summer, before pushing the deadline to the end of the year. Here again, Microsoft did not keep its promises.
Surface Duo gets Android 11, here’s what’s new
After months of waiting and broken promises, Microsoft has finally start rolling out Android 11 to Surface Duo first of the name. Firmware version 2021.1027.156, currently rolling out globally, includes the January 2022 Android security patch. “The following update is available for unlocked Surface Duos in North America and Europe”, explains Microsoft on its website.
The update adds a slew of new features. It is now possible to launch OneNote by clicking on the upper button of the stylus that accompanies the terminal. By going to the phone settings, it is also possible to “choose specific apps to automatically deploy to both screens when you open them”.
Related: Microsoft Working to Port Android 12L to Surface Duo 1 & 2
Microsoft is also announcing “optimized quick settings”, a way to adjust media volume directly from quick settings, a one-handed mode in the Microsoft SwiftKey keyboard, new weather and news widgets, better display of OneDrive photos, and the ability to play Xbox Game Pass with a controller.
