With only a few hours left before I had to return the Surface Duo loaner to my generous benefactor, there was only one question left to settle: was the typing experience good enough to allow me to write an entire review on it?
The newer Surface Slim Pen is recommended for the Surface Duo, but the magnet in the device’s lower right corner holds the standard Surface Pen tightly in place.
Here goes nothing…
It’s been a long time since I swore off writing hardware and creative software reviews to focus on actual revenue generating activity. I’ve even considered shutting down this site this year, but the thought of discarding so many years of work has been my only deterrent. I still get regular visitors, so some of you out there must still see some value here.
It’s been over two years since I last wrote an in-depth hardware review. Why did I quit? After five years of covering the space almost full-time I felt like I had written as much about the niche as there was to write and I could see that the pace of innovation was slowing dramatically. In the intervening months, that instinct has proven to be correct, insofar as Microsoft pen tech is concerned. And looking across the entire spectrum of options, not much else has changed to distinguish one tablet pc from another.
I still work with a half dozen PCs daily, including my 2017 Surface Pro and 2016 Surface Studio, but the work I do today overseeing content and operations for a streaming video service rarely requires the pen support that was the raison d’etre of SurfaceProArtist.com.
I almost came out of semi-retirement late last year to write a review of the Surface Pro X, but that device turned out to be so underwhelming I decided the less said the better. The release of the Surface Duo earlier this month finally promised a development worth writing about: genuine hardware innovation, and a form factor that sparked my imagination like no other devices since the first Surface Book or Surface Studio.
But like everyone who reads tech reviews, I was dismayed when I saw the release day verdicts for the Surface Duo. Could Microsoft really have gotten it so wrong?
So after a week of testing I can report that I’ve been extremely fortunate and haven’t stumbled upon the serious performance issues that others have documented. I don’t doubt they exist; they just haven’t plagued me. There have been fidgety moments where gestures don’t work as I expect or screens don’t open where you expect them, but perhaps because I’m not a full-time Android user, those moments haven’t bothered me very much.
A multitasking (or ADD?) dream: surfing Twitter while watching the latest YouTube video
Hardcore Word document editing in “Compose” mode
A blast from the past
Maybe it’s because I never came to the Duo expecting it to be the Surface Phone. Instead, the Duo is the near-perfect realization of a product category that I had forgotten I needed: the Pocket PC, first introduced in October 2001. (I owned an HP Pocket PC in 2002, but I had to leave it behind when my employer at the time switched us all to Blackberry).
That early product bore little resemblance to an actual PC and the smartphone (and eventually the iPhone) eliminated the category. But as soon as I got my hands on the Duo and began doing work—real work—”pocket PC” was the only term I could think of to do it justice.
The Duo and its suite of Microsoft apps feels so comfortable for a Windows user, it’s sometimes easy to forget that you’re using Android. And of course Google’s apps all run well too, making the Duo the most portable productivity device that I’ve ever used.
Smartphones are great for web browsing and reading email or documents. But writing more than a few dozen words (like this review)? Creating or editing a spreadsheet from scratch? I’d rather work with a chisel or an abacus.
I hope that Microsoft eventually releases the Surface Neo, the two screen device running full Windows. But I fear that a larger size will force it into a no-man’s land: too big for a pocket, too small to be a tablet pc replacement.
Modes or “postures” equal versatility
Besides its productivity benefits, the Duo is also a slick PDF, Kindle and Comixology reader. Nothing beats reading a comic or illustrated ebook in double page spread, laid out as it was originally intended. And the device is so light, it’s very easy to hold it one handed in Book mode, securely cradled between forefinger and thumb.
The natural instinct is to reserve Tent mode for when you plan to prop the device on a flat surface, but it’s also very comfortable to hold the Duo that way for extended video viewing, with the hinge resting on your extended fingers.
In what Microsoft calls Compose mode, the Duo but is immediately reminiscent of a Nintendo 3DS. (I read that there is an emulator available but I didn’t have any software to try it out). I thumb typed this review in that posture.
I didn’t find Dual Landscape mode appealing because the hinge creates a seam across the middle of the canvas, but it’s a great posture for multitasking, allowing two separate apps to span each display.
And finally, what about the pen support?
Mediocre Android art apps have historically been the platform’s Achilles heel, but better software has started to appear recently. Most notably Clip Studio Paint, my favorite Windows and iOS tool, is now available. I was bitterly disappointed to learn that it’s currently exclusive to the Galaxy Store and I couldn’t figure out a way to sideload it onto the Surface Duo.
I tested a few other apps and ultimately found that Artflow offered the most consistent drawing experience with a UI that was intuitive and minimalistic.
It was easy to designate pen-only sketching, one of the things I found must frustrating in other apps I tried. (I originally set out to try Infinite Painter but I kept leaving smudges on the canvas as I rested my fingers or palms on the display. I didn’t find the setting to disable touch until just before the end of the free trial).
Autodesk Sketchbook was also frustrating because it left behind random blobs of ink as I drew.
The only knock on the Artflow experience is that calling up its menus often invokes the system menus which are hidden along the top of the display (see images below). But while you’re drawing, it’s easy to concentrate on the canvas with no distractions. I will definitely try Artflow again the next time I’m on an Android device.
Artflow’s gadget to unhide the UI is too close to the edge…
…which overlap with the application’s menus and control panels.
and regularly invokes the hidden system gadgets…
I tested sketching with my 2017 Surface Pen and found no appreciable difference in pen response between the experience here or in a good Windows application. It’s possible that the new flat Surface Pen may work slightly better because its tip is less susceptible to wobble. I did switch to a softer nib to improve the tooth on the slippery glass display. I was not able to get tilt recognition on either Artflow or Infinite Painter, but that may be a case of operator error.
Although you can span your canvas across two screens (lef), I think most will choose to work on only one display. Because the Duo’s screen is a little wider than most smartphones, the canvas doesn’t feel too cramped. I believe there’s an opportunity for a paint program that places all its touch controls on the second display.
After thumb typing approximately 1,000 words, my thumbs are a little sore, so it’s time to wrap it up…
I want one of my own
At $1400, the Surface Duo is a luxury solution to a problem few of us have (especially in this travel-restricted post-Covid world). But if you have the means and are in a position that requires you to produce substantive communication on the go, the Duo is transformative tech.
Could I have written this review faster on a laptop or Surface Pro? Absolutely. But neither of those fit in my pocket or offer a full day of battery life. This is the Pocket PC I’ve wanted since 2001. I’m absolutely sold and I can’t wait for my iPhone contract to lapse so I can replace it with a Surface Duo.
