$200 Smartphone with 2 SCREENS... again?

The Microsoft Surface Duo is one of the most unique phones ever made. It's got a few quirks, but can you really complain for $200? • Another $250 Smartphon... • Gaming with a PSP in 2024 • Temu vs Amazon: CHEAP ...
Team Credits:
Host & Writer
/ kenbolido
Executive Producer
‪@austinevans‬
Editor
‪@LukePollack‬
Denki is an Overclock Media production.
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[@DNKI]

People keep asking where they can get it for $200 or that it's not real. *I literally showed the listing I bought from on eBay @ **1:17** by making an offer to the seller.* Sort your search results by "sold items" and there are plenty of people that have bought for $200-300 in fair to good condition. YMMV but if you're serious about buying one, there are sellers out there that need to clear space.

[@cyberdasherxd2505]

4:36 wallpaper name?

[@weclock]

It's sold out everywhere. This is fake.

[@NightFoxZero]

I am a simple man. I see surface Duo video. I watch

[@アドルフヒトラ]

I'm only here for the Denkinator but the device is definitely impressive I'm considering getting one now after watching

[@jarahfreemanJDWF]

Why is everyone saying that

[@NightFoxZero]

Because like Matt has always preached. The Duo is genuinely such a cool phone and honestly the most practical implementation of a "folding phone" I had bought one new for $400 from Amazon like a few weeks before the phone basically ran out of stock to try as a daily driver. Ultimately didn't keep it due to some antenna connection stuff not being great for my provider but I really wish Microsoft would make a Duo 3 that's a bit narrower and just make the phone a little thicker to have a flush back with the camera instead of a stupid bump like the Duo 2. Being able to multi task properly with 2 screens on a phone really makes you become more productive and doesn't have the issues of folding displays breaking eventually

[@Retronyx]

@@jarahfreemanJDWFthey are NPC with no creatively

[@emmanuelsilvaruiz]

Me too

[@YoutubeWatcher264]

You can dual boot this, Android and Windows 11 ARM.

[@Terd2402]

Despite the negative reviews, the positive reviews I watched and the form factor ultimately helped me make the decision to purchase this phone on Amazon for around $400 in 2021. It was a bit slow here and there and a little buggy but I loved it. I found out how to unlock the device and used it for a few days as my daily driver. I babied the phone everyday that I had it. I’d open it slowly and carefully each and every time. Despite that, the screens started flickering and going crazy. I returned the phone back to Amazon and never got it again, I really wish I still had that device today.

[@Zero]

I bought one last week for one reason, it’s the perfect manga reading device. I legit read all my manga , comics and web toons on this with dual screen. It’s hands down the best reader out there

[@Chromwel-A]

What application do you use? Or just web browser?

[@Zero]

@@Chromwel-A Kotatsu manga reader for android, not in play store but just google it best one for two page manga reading.

[@akshayuppala9295]

Webtoon is long format tho

[@anasanu935]

@@akshayuppala9295 my thoughts too.

[@UnsungAces]

@@Chromwel-A Mihon

[@theofficialanimephoenix9674]

Bought it in 2022 for 300$ brand new on Amazon and it went out of stock a month later, it makes a great secondary phone and also an amazing e-reader for people who like the book feel

[@Hinducoder]

I have this phone in my collection. This is just ridiculous, MS couldn't give it NTFS support even though it's their standard.

[@emilyshabang]

I wanted the Surface Duo 2 SOOOOOO BAD! Sadly I couldn't afford it and when it finally got prices cuts they completely disappeared from vendor sites. I might be in the majority but I love the design and think it's a better solution than foldable screens. I genuinely wish Microsoft had stuck with it and made a Duo 3.

[@kingzach74]

I wish they did as well. I currently have a Surface Duo 2 and I LOVE It. It's seen some abuse over the years but despite that it is 95% fully functional(hinge at the top doesn't stay synced with the bottom hinge any more but it still works).

[@DarthVader-yq5iz]

Yeah Microsoft changed the Surface leadership and the new team was less experimental. They also stopped selling the Surface Headphones 2 and won't do a 3rd gen. Same thing with the Surface Duo.

[@MrGhostTheBigRoast]

i agree. as someone who has been using multiple monitors for a decade i think there is room for devices without all that fiddly bendy screen and just straight up two regular screens with bezels and everything for half the price.

[@hdtravel1]

I owned it - just a horrible device - awful

[@TonyJenn]

@@hdtravel1 how was it terrible?

[@JamesRoyceDawson]

I'm so mad this concept didn't work and take off. I was so hype from the original concept videos. Wish it had been implemented better.

[@Natsukashii1111]

I just wanted surface neo, duo to me always seemed like a doa device

[@mikecoffin9236]

@@JamesRoyceDawson Lg v60

[@clifsraiders]

As usual, you've done an excellent job reviewing the product of your video, just wanted you to know that if no one has told you lately...keep up the good work no matter the product being reviewed...take care.

[@WJSNGWSNSNSDBTSNCTTXT]

The ultimate ds and 3ds emulator

[@nutzeeer]

Why emulate when you can use a 3ds with built in controls?

[@V3Efreet]

@@nutzeeer Some people need validation for wasting their money on useless gadgets.

[@DerpyNoodIe]

@@nutzeeer Because getting a 3DS is gonna cost you around the same price as the Duo. Clearly the Duo is worth more when you consider other emulators and other uses. Plus you can use a Gamesir controller on it and it will look close to a 3DS anyway (not the one showed on this video, there are better ones) but with AMOLED screens instead of the TN panels (or if your lucky, you might win the IPS lotto when buying a 3DS) but the Duo will get you Dual AMOLED screens and emulation works great! But I know some people still prefer original hardware, so to each their own.

[@ChikaHakozaki]

​@@DerpyNoodIe But it's not... I run a gamestore and we sell 3DS handhelds for $100 - $150. At $100 its not even close to the same price as the duo.

[@nutzeeer]

@@DerpyNoodIe i like the 3D feature

[@Norieu]

ken is like that cool asian uncle with cool techs you see in family gathering

[@fritzlatag7227]

Still using it as my main device and the battery is still solid. Mine came sealed in box which is probably why the battery is healthy to this day. I installed screen protectors inside and out. I bought several of them and used the once with no holes outside. No more slippery surface.

[@sol029]

I had one. Got the green screen of death, but prior to that, i absolutely loved it. Still thinking of getting another

[@djdontgetcooked]

I got this last summer for 200 euro dropped it the first day from knee height cracked the left screen and there is absolutely no route for repair unless I send it from EU to India to a random shop that offers the repair.

[@QWERTYQwertz852]

oh nooo 😭😭😭

[@abrendan_dev]

I used to use a Surface Duo 1 in 2021. I then sold it just to rebuy a brand new one for 400$ in 2023. Since then I happily use it as my main phone. I dualboot Windows 11 ARM on it and the novelty to have a full Windows 11 PC with me at all times is fun and actually came in handy before a few times. Since last month I started to use an iPhone as a second phone / work phone though which may at some point get my main SIM Card but for now I'm still a happy Surface Duo 1 User :) And btw. I recommend installing Windows on it in a future video. The project is called DuoWOA and it's actually really great. I think it would deserve more attention.

[@MMikemezta]

I really wanted this device at one point.. low key still do. It was ahead of its time

[@Ronnet]

I had this as my daily driver for years. Wonderful device if you're not making a lot of pictures. I only stopped using it as my main phone when my son was born snd taking quick and good pictures became a requirement. After years of usage the charging port had cracked but otherwise it was in a flawless state. Glass every where and I dropped it often but it never had a single crack. Screen rotation was buggy but I had that turned off by default and had an app installed that allowed me to switch to landscape by holding the volume down button.

[@eeyore_stole_my_donut]

I currently use this as my companion device to my primary phone, and I love it. Watching KZbin nonstop for 6-7 hours at low-mid brightness, and I still get about 15% of battery life left.

[@austin.t5557]

The Duo and Duo 2 had major footprint in the business world. Because they integrated with Endpoint manager 1 to 1, unlike the iPhone and most Androids that give you 90% management over the device you got an additional 5% control with the Duo's like instant warranty support and rma, and OOB roll outs.

[@DaBigCheeso]

I wish Microsoft didn't give up on this line so easily

[@krishrong2560]

I wonder why many phone are not like this. It can be use as tablet to increase productivity, not just a little phone. It may has some little unesthetic from little gaps from the displays, but more durable and last longer than foldable phone.

[@ChrisFerrell]

200 for a surface duo is a smoking deal. If I could find that price I’d be all over it. Very jealous haha.

[@Justinj360]

About the battery, there's actually 2 separate batteries inside, one on each side. And if one battery completely dies and won't hold a charge anymore the other battery will work just fine on its own. Also, the battery/batteries used to last me about 2 days with regular use with Android 11. Since installing Android 12L it only lasts about a day.

[@hkazzaz]

Surface Duo 1 and 2 have been my primary phones since 2020. They are the best phones I have ever had, despite the bugs in the first year. The device got much better after the second year. Once you use it, you can't go back to other foldable phones. The multitasking is amazing. Microsoft was foolish to leave this phone without any support. I hope they reconsider and release Revision 3.

[@GoPotato69]

bro thats a steal, everywhere is like 350-400 on ebay tbh

[@WaffleusRex]

I loved my Surface Duo 2. I still keep it around as a Kindle, even after uploading to the Pixel Fold.

[@philriot]

I picked up a Duo About 2 years ago.. it’s awesome for browsing and watching videos , the design is what drew me to it. I was lucky enough to find the leather otter box case for it. Probably the best case for it.

[@LittleByrdEee]

Surface Duo 2 i used for a little while - it really was something special.

[@consumercompute]

You overlooked the standout feature of this phone/tablet-the Surface Pen or Slim Pen. I enjoyed your video; it's interesting to see how the price has surged since then due to nostalgia. I initially owned this device upon its release but accidentally dropped it, breaking the plastic hinge. After returning it, I purchased it again in 2021 through a bundle deal at Best Buy, which included free Surface Buds for around $600. However, I returned it because the operating system wasn't fully functional at the time. Then, about a year ago, I bought it once more, and before August, it received numerous updates that significantly improved its usability. It's disappointing that security updates are no longer available, while Microsoft continues to provide updates for the Surface Duo 2 at least until September I can only hope mabe MS will leave the duo 2 with an update os like 14 ......i can dream !

[@hilmalumay]

If they had sold it as a tablet priced at 399 for the wifi version and 599 for the 4g one and if it was successful they could hyped up the 2nd duo as a phone too for 999 it could have been a different story.

[@Randomness662]

Absolutely the most beautiful phone I've ever owned, both in design and hand-feel. An absolute joy. So sad that I had to let it go

[@williamhuigens3192]

I bought one, last February. Love the build quality and the screens, but it has to be a secondary device. So I solely use it for emails, social media, book reading and game emulation. And for those use cases is a great device.

[@zoickn]

Im using LG V60 past 4 years....still a great phone.

[@ThatOneZombie21]

ironically I just got mine back and booting up a few days ago

[@Sipapate]

I actually loved the concept of the surface duo, it's just unfortunate it was priced out of the reach of many stunting Microsoft's ability to penetrate the market, it would have been a great build up to a dual screen laptop

[@smakermanster]

All these phones look like the phones I used to have in Japan just ahead of the introduction of the original iPhone.

[@Jay-je8fc]

While Galaxy Fold pioneered the fold form factor, it was the Surface Duo that gave people the actual idea of what we could do with fold form factor

[@Bdup678_]

I finally got a Denki upload notification! Today will be a good day.

[@DavidStruveDesigns]

How is the battery that small and bad? This device should literally have an entire extra phones worth of space on one side for the battery. Motherboard on one side, battery on the other. How did they mess THAT up?!

[@richarddcrossley]

I picked 256GB one brand new for about £250 last year. Great ebook and comic reader but it also fully supports the surface pen so it’s like a little notepad and an android alternative to the iPad mini.

[@holladaycubed]

I’m gonna be honest if the bezels weren’t so chunky, and there was a flush camera on the rear side I would have gotten this phone I love the dual screen nature of it. You can make a great DS emulator out of it and I loved how thin it was, but the second one was a huge failure with the giant camera bump And similar design, but didn’t capture that clean look that the first one had

[@heyafehya]

i bought a surface duo off someone on marketplace for about 200, and i thought it was really cool. but as i used it more and more it got buggier and buggier, so many issues with how the two screens interacted lead to apps crashing or functions like the camera and keyboard requiring restarts. i think the last android update it got fixed a bunch of stuff, but lord almighty it was rough to keep it any longer

[@MrBaskins2010]

Met some guy at a wedding who had one of these. Said he hated it but it looked too cool to return

[@indigomizumi]

I wish we had more dual screen phones like the Surface Duo. I think this is a much more interesting form factor than a single foldable display.

[@jammies701]

This bezel-hate makes no sense. That's the perfect amount of bezels for a phone (except the dead zone, that's shit). Modern edge-to-edge phones have nowhere to hold. This phone is actually great for that. You can hold it easily and hand it to others without opening a different app and searching something or pressing 6 other buttons on accident. Plus, when screens are that big, reaching all the way to the bottom and top is basically impossible anyway (and if it's possible with your hands, it's particularly unhealthy and you shouldn't do it anyway)

[@kalark]

i bought a surface duo for around 200 bucks recently as well, such a fun little phone, tempted to give it a run as my main phone for a while to see how it is

[@voteDC]

The Surface Duo is still rather expensive here in the UK. The cheapest I could find a working one for on eBay was £280 Buy It Now, a price that is around $355 USD.

[@HarryHouseGames]

“Yeah!” 2:30 😂 you da man Denk!

[@fantom0369]

I wanted one, I'm still not convinced with the folding screens. I'm honestly surprised nobody has tried to make a better dual screen setup since then. would I buy it? honestly if I had an extra $200 and could find it at that price point I think I would.

[@FederalBureau_OfInvestigations]

I love the surface Duo so much but ended up opting for the z fold 2 back then. I've wanted one ever since and I think I still might go ahead and grab one. It's so sleek and sexy. I preferred the single screen and tiny bezels of the z fold 2. Don't get me wrong I love my z fold 2 and still use it to this day. I am just a collector of sorts of unique and influential phones or phones that have changed the game in one way or another. How can I NOT add this to my collection

[@bw4593]

Was definitely sad this didn’t catch on. The soft foldable screens never interested me at all, but I really hoped this would get refined and go mainstream. Especially with some of the ideas thrown around to have a prism of some sort in the middle to make the 2 screens blend together a bit.

[@noelsilva8887]

This phone does look good. And for a second phone it might be good especially for the price. And a lot of people use it for Nintendo 3DS emulation. Which for the price I might check it for funny.

[@NoName-fn6ee]

Looks like the Nintendo DS we dreamed about as kids. I want it to emulate stuff.

[@ChrisEllisuk]

I've had one since I got it around a year after launch for £400. Perfect reading device and premium hardware. Get a pouch for it and its a great seond device.

[@kylespevak6781]

I like this form factor more than my Galxay Fold, but with a case it feels fine

[@firehazardfox159]

I feel gaming companies should make there own versions of the surface Duo

[@SpazzbotX]

Still using my Surface Duo 1 as my daily driver and somehow managing 1.5 days of battery after 3 years. If it weren’t for the updates, I would’ve given up on this buggy mess. Now I don’t want any other foldable

[@aliberry5510]

I would LOVE this thing for reading my ebooks ❤

[@samadams2315]

Had no idea about this ❤ someone who's still using the galaxy fold v1 this looks amazing hopefully will get an updated version in the future

[@MrMickey1987]

I love my Surface Duo 2. It's really one of a kind device. The productivity benefits of having two, seperate, screens are real. I just hope Microsoft tries a third time, I really don't want to go back to a slab phone... And the Samsung Fold or Google Pixel Fold just don't caputure the magic of the Surface Duo. So please, Microsoft, try for a third time, it might just be the charme ;-)

[@LezZeppelinFanPage-nm1ly]

First time to your channel and love it. Subscribed immediately!

[@XLessThanZ]

I wanted one at the time, but after seeing MKBHD's review on the buggy issues, nvm. I had hopes for the 2, but it was still kinda sketchy. I might buy one for $200, though. That's an awesome deal you got.🤙🏽

[@Slinks34]

I bought one last year on eBay for 110 dollars, said it was acceptable but it was immaculate except for a crack near the USB C port. Although I did quite enjoy the hardware and the very well-optimized Android experience I quickly got bored after like a month and sold it for double. I cannot lie though it was a cool little novelty I enjoyed for a while.

[@Pain_Socks]

If I remember, it allowed use of some Surface Pens

[@AG4HUNNA]

Denki this would be the worst 'premium' phone for 200 it would be a cool 'unique phone' though, the zflip3, and the pixel 6/7 go for $200 CAD.

[@WhatTheFlash-cx6ox]

I love this phone, it was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me as I’m normally an iOS user. I have one sat on my desk at the moment, I was using it as my business phone, it was (is) such an amazing device. I don’t need it anymore but I can’t bring myself to sell it.

[@user-si6hc8jk2b]

Good job brother ur doing great on ur videos keep it going 👍💪

[@petedavis1040]

Don’t know bro, I’d have to find this on a better price point than 200. Being that it’s not a flagship, doesn’t have a good cam, no more updates will be coming for it and it’s a fall risk I’d rather not

[@James-si4je]

I'm still upset i missed buying it new for $300 due to a payment issue

[@jakesmith5278]

It's excellent for DS and 3DS emulation.

[@pufferzsola69]

i miss these unique devices nowadays... Now all of them are just slabs of glass and circuit boards...

[@raffaelegagliardi9385]

Is it possible to use one of the screens as a keyboard as if it were a laptop?

[@chestervelasquez7452]

you should do a comparison with the duo 2

[@PrinceMalachi7]

I actually got one a couple of years ago for about 350. I had a love hate relationship with them. The build quality was probably the best I've ever experienced on a smartphone. But to be honest it was extremely buggy.

[@quantum9964]

I remember when it dropped. Good times

[@carlosr5918.]

I bought this phone on ebay maybe a year or so ago for about $300. I used it for a little while but idk. It just felt incomplete software wise. Even with the dual boot options and everything. Besides that, I loved it.

[@JK-xz1lt]

Purchased one when the first drop happened, but I got two in a row from MS with separating glass. Returned them. I ended up getting another new one when Woot did that fire sale, and this last one was physically great. Used it as a second device and then had to sell it. I really miss the form factor and just how premium it is. The software is just so janky. Panay and Ms should've dug their heels and gone on to a 3rd iteration. Just solve all the bugs. It's such a good idea.

[@travit666]

That's probably really good for Nintendo DS emulation not going to lie

[@Treychik]

wait...what get was this one? I see ads on ebay saying gen 1 and gen 2? was gen 2 better? I always wanted to get something dual screen, but the prices are insane for these :(

[@klen7642]

Just a beautiful device. I had one for about 2 years and 3mos before the hinge broke.

[@Vending_Mecha]

A great 3ds/ds emulator device!

[@adamw9764]

I had this phone and honestly regret getting rid of it

[@o-datsingh7296]

I would buy one... That is one beautiful phone!!

[@ultraprimeomega]

I found that I needed to hard reset my duo a few times until the battery started working correctly, would turn off at 50%

[@mbeeson123456]

I think this thing is gonna be the new h t c hd2 the one that can run basically every operating system

[@InfinetlyOmega]

i would love one if i could get a deal on one that is not absolutely destroyed

[@grantpaterson1016]

Microsoft, a company that really works in retrospective..... I MISS Zune software 😢 It was the absolute best on PC.

[@Not31337]

I loved my 2nd Gen Zune, hated the software.

[@grantpaterson1016]

@@Not31337 yeah, didn’t like it on my 2nd Gen either…. But in PC it was WAY better than iTunes or Winamp…..at the time lol 😊

[@LazyPCRehab]

I just had to return one that I bought (battery issues), but it prompted me to buy the OnePlus Open (not $200, lol).

[@_Tree]

I liked the surface duo, but not as a cellphone! I'd use it as a tablet

[@West3rror]

Resolution is 1344x1892 for each screen.

[@SilvioBritto]

The ultimate ebook reader

[@xXBIRDY68Xx]

that’s a great price for that phone if i find i’ll buy it

[@Barni2212]

Nice Tsunoda hat. 🤩

[@pitcheung5354]

surface Duo is a nice phone SD855 is good for some EMU games up to PSP PS2(Some) (The same chip on the sumsung Note 10+)

[@igb2904]

still my daily driver....camera not great, but that doesnt bother me. I would tell anyone to get one for under 300 pounds. Love it

[@censedpeak8275]

biggest weeb tech tuber doesn't talk about reading manga on book shaped device, I wanted to see mihon launched on this device so bad.

[@Johnwick-ed7vo]

Seems a bit like a tablet that folds, it just happens to have a phone baked into it?

[@TerrorSyxke]

All we had to do was put windows mobile on it and improve the build quality microsoft

[@sotkajarvi]

I'd buy one to use as a daily driver and to read magazines and books.