Here’s our first look at the affordable Surface Duo that was never launched

Microsoft released its first foldable smartphone – the Surface Duo – in 2020, and the Surface Duo 2 succeeded it last year. Like the rest of the foldable smartphones – the Surface Duo’s were priced pretty steeply, making them unaffordable for many. What if we tell you if Microsoft had a cheaper Surface Duo under development. Yes, the Redmond giant was working on a much more affordable version of its second-gen foldable – the Surface Duo 2 – that we might never get as Microsoft has cancelled it already.
A now-deleted eBay listing first spotted by Windows Central shows off the affordable or ‘lite’ version of Surface Duo 2. As per the images, the purported cheaper Surface Duo 2 have a matte plastic build with more rounded corners and a smaller camera bump. Also, the said affordable Surface Duo have flat displays. The publication reports that the unit has been sold to an unknown buyer.
As per the report, if not shelved, the cheaper Surface Duo 2, codenamed ‘Cronos’, was scheduled to launch later this year as a lower-priced variant of the Surface Duo 2. But, Microsoft decided to cancel the project last year itself and shifted its focus to the flagship Surface Duo, which might be released in late 2023.
Windows Central reports that the Cronos could have come with a mid-tier Snapdragon chipset instead of the high-end one, a dual camera setup and flat displays without Surface Duo 2’s glance bar. The publication suggests that it could have been known as “Surface Duo Go” if it ever made it to the market.