Microsoft's Surface Duo will address at least two major shortcomings when it launches later this year. The new device will pick up 5G support for the first time but is also expected to bring substantially improved camera performance.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Surface-Duo-2-to-address-at-least-two-major-shortcomings-of-the-original.525699.0.html
I wish that nowadays devices focus less on camera. Not everyone buys a phone to keep snapping pictures like crazy. I would love to have an Iphone or Samsung S21 without any cameras on the front. One solution would be to put a small display on the back of the device, so you could use the back camera for selfie.
the surface duo is nice "clean" device from Microsoft that definitely shows the industry they CAN & WILL make smartphones. The sector is too large & lucrative to ignore.
also, recent surveys do show that nearly half of top-end smartphone consumers do consider device camera options, screen size, processor speed, etc as major details when choosing their next smartphone. software UI continuity was a big factor when looking at devices with multiple screens. i'm thinking the next Surface Duo 2 will come with a multi-lens camera array & maybe a screen on the front cover.
right now the current Surface Duo is like a mini Chromebook with a dual-screen (non-physical keyboard) layout. it fits the profile for business uses, but now it needs a few additional features to add some fun & entice more consumer interest.
@gus re not requiring a camera; you'd be a minority; the majority want a decent camera; look at how cameras on phones have devastated the dedicated camera industry.
The Surface Duo looks like a niche device. Pricey and it looks like a nightmare to adapt conventional software to the device.
Which means only MS will adapt its s/w to the two screens.
A buyer has to be heavily invested in the Microsoft productivity universe to make it worthwhile?