Microsoft says its final goodbyes to the Surface Duo 2 with one last security update

Microsoft’s foray into the Android foldable smartphone market is officially coming to a close.

The Windows giant ventured into the Android foldable market after years of development with the Surface Duo in 2020, though the device failed to gain major traction due to better competition, subpar specs, and an overall poor software experience. The device never really received timely OS updates, and last year — three years after launch, Microsoft ended support for it.

The tech giant’s 2021-released Surface Duo 2, which was priced at $1,500 upon release, fell down a similar path with its weak battery life, inconsistent camera performance, buggy software, and an overall clunky form factor. Now, the second-gen foldable has also reached its end of life, with Microsoft rolling out the final security update for it.

As highlighted by WindowsCentral, after just one OS update, the Surface Duo 2 is soon losing software support. Microsoft’s surface lifecycle page suggests that the last planned security update for the Surface Duo 2 is October 21, 2024, with a 54MB security update rolling out now.

Launched with Android 11, the foldable only ever received one major update that brought it up to Android 12L — a significant disappointment for a device priced at $1,500. Microsoft ending support for the 2nd-gen Duo falls in line with its broader strategy to cut down on its Surface device portfolio, coming almost a year after the departure of Panos Panay, the former head of Windows and Surface at Microsoft. This marks the official end of the Surface Duo line, with Microsoft likely having no plans to revive it. This is Lumia all over again.

What now?

Well, nothing really changes. If you’ve been using your Surface Duo 2, you can continue using it, though be warned, you’ll be at risk of future vulnerabilities and exploits. Additionally, some apps might stop working or become unstable on older devices without security updates. Your best hope is to hope LineageOS picks up the slack, considering that you’re only getting about $60 per screen if you decide to trade in your 128GB Surface Duo 2 for a different Microsoft product, or you can choose to rely on Play Services for software-side fixes.

If security and app compatibility is of the utmost concern, it may be time to consider upgrading to a newer device.

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