Microsoft has released what is likely the last update for its foldable smartphone Surface Duo 2. The device was released in October 2021 with a price tag of $1500 and has received only one Android update since then, Windows Central reports.
The smartphone was originally released with Android 11, and the company promised 3 years of system updates. Despite these statements, over the past three years, Surface Duo 2 has received only one major system update - Android 12L, which is specifically designed for devices with a large screen, such as tablets and foldable smartphones.
The company's previous smartphone, the Microsoft Surface Duo, was released in 2020 with Android 10 on board and received two system updates over the next three years - Android 11 and Android 12L. This is still less than even competitors' budget smartphones, but more than the current model.
It is likely that we will not see new smartphones from Microsoft for a very long time, if the company ever decides to return to this area. Even the fact that the company's CEO Satya Nadella admitted in 2023 that abandoning Windows Phone was a mistake did not help the tech giant stay in the smartphone market.
Officially, support for the Surface Duo will end on October 21, 2024, so it's unlikely that Microsoft has any surprises up its sleeve. The $1500 device will stop receiving any updates, including security updates, and will go on the tech giant's shelf of dead products, joining Windows Phone and Lumia, which were discontinued in 2017.