While Samsung’s name has quickly become synonymous with the fast-growing foldable category of the otherwise stagnant smartphone market, the almost surprisingly well-reviewed Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 5G do technically have some competition.
Last year’s
Surface Duo is one of the first devices that come to mind when thinking of possible alternatives for the two aforementioned Snapdragon 888 powerhouses, but despite Microsoft’s best design efforts, the dual-screen Snapdragon 855 handset never got off the ground.
That outdated processor (by $1,400 flagship standards) was probably one of the big reasons why the incredibly good-looking Android 10 device seemed essentially set up to fail right off the bat, alongside the rest of its mediocre specifications, and perhaps most importantly, the half-baked software that didn’t make good use of the extra-large
8.1-inch AMOLED display always capable of switching to 5.6-inch folded mode.
Of course, the OG Surface Duo is no longer priced at $1,400 after the launch of its vastly improved $1,500 sequel, fetching as little as $700 right now at both Microsoft and Best Buy. But with the
Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G normally available for $1,000 and frequently marked down to $900 or even $850, we wouldn’t blame bargain hunters if they felt they could do a lot better than that 50 percent discount.
Enter Woot, an Amazon-owned e-tailer widely known and celebrated for routinely eclipsing the generosity of most major US retailers, its parent company included, for short periods of time. Interestingly, the latest Microsoft Surface Duo deal is not one of those 24-hour-only affairs, at least in theory, being scheduled to run through Saturday, December 11.
Then again, inventory is undoubtedly limited, and at a measly $399.99 in a 256GB storage configuration, it’s difficult to find a decent alternative for this versatile and reasonably powerful thing, be it foldable or not.
Believe it or not, your four Benjamins will be enough to buy you a brand-new, unused, unopened, and undamaged unit backed by a full 1-year manufacturer warranty, although on the not so bright side of things, you’ll need to use this bad boy on AT&T.
Listed as discounted by 47 percent from its current “regular” price of $749.99, the digital hoarder-friendly phone (tablet?) is technically a colossal $1,100 cheaper than back in the day, also featuring among others a decent 6GB RAM count, single 11MP camera, a mediocre battery equipped with 18W fast charging support, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and above all, a 360-degree hinge splitting a beautiful AMOLED screen in two.
Incredibly enough, this seemingly irresistible promotion is not completely unprecedented, but given that AT&T no longer sells the Surface Duo directly and Best Buy has started to run out of stock as well, there are obviously no guarantees the deal will ever return after expiring on Saturday… or earlier.
