Microsoft lets down OG Surface Duo owners by failing to deliver Android 11 in 2021

By Scott Marlette Last updated Jan 2, 2022

New Year’s Day means different things to different people. For many, it is a clean slate allowing them to learn from the mistakes they made during the previous year so that they can improve themselves in the new year. But for a major tech company like Microsoft, this New Year’s Day simply exposes the company’s failure to deliver a much needed upgrade that it said would take place for one of its devices before the end of 2021.

Microsoft never delivered the Android 11 update for the Surface Duo that it said was coming before the end of 2021

The device is the original-generation Surface Duo. Some lump it in with other foldable phones but the truth is that it is a device with two separate panels connected by a hinge. The screen does not bend as you see with true foldable models like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. Google and Microsoft worked together to make Android and Google apps run as seamlessly as possible over the two panels.

The OG Surface Duo is still running Android 10

The phone was unveiled in October 2019 and released more than 11 months later with Android 10 pre-installed. One report published months before the phone’s release said that Android 11 would be available to Surface Duo owners within a few months after the handset’s release. Android 11 had already been out for more than a month when the Surface Duo was first available for purchase and many buyers wanted to know when they would be receiving what was at that time the latest build of the operating system.

This past September, Microsoft said, “We remain committed to providing updates to Surface Duo, and we’re working to bring Android 11 to existing customers before the end of this year.” Now, we couldn’t see whether the Microsoft spokesperson who said this had his fingers crossed at the time, but the calendar now shows that it is 2022 which means that Microsoft has failed its customers, the ones that took a risk and spent big bucks on the Surface Duo.

Windows Central’s podcast titled “Red Ring Revisited” suggested that Microsoft had the Android 11 update ready for weeks but failed to get it through the Google approval process because of the legendary time off that Mountain View gives employees over the holidays. It should be noted that the Surface Duo 2, which was released this past October, sports Android 11.

This is how a device earns a reputation that is not favorable and being as competitive as the tech world is, not delivering software at a previously mentioned time is a big red flag. For Microsoft, trying to get a new product line off the ground, this was not a smart move. And as we told you a few days ago, the Surface Duo might become the Surface Trio thanks to a patent received by the company for a device with two hinges and three panels.

Surface Duo 2 runs Android 11

One of the panels will be the “external screen” and will work when the phone is folded closed. If this design comes to fruition, consumers will be digging even more deeply into their pockets to buy it. As it is, paying $1,400 for a device that is still running OS two generations old and which has never received one system update can’t make OG Surface Duo owners really happy.

Android 11 includes a refined version of Android’s gesture navigation system which would certainly improve the experience for OG Surface Duo users if they were able to obtain the update. Of course, Microsoft could point to the Surface Duo 2 and point out, as we did a few paragraphs ago, that it is powered by Android 11. But who would shell out another large chunk of chain for the sequel unless they loved the form factor so much and wanted 5G support for the phone.

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