Surface Duo

[Dave245]

The real question is, will @Dave245 be buying it?

I would of pre-ordered one if available in the U.K.

But after seeing the reviews and issues that are occurring with the software, it’s definitely disappointing.

At this stage I’m waiting to see what Apple announce with the iPhone 12 next month. I’m not overly confident that the next iPhone will be all that great, a design change back to the iPhone 4, a Lidar which most people don’t currently use, a faster processor and a new midnight blue colour.

It definitely seems like the smartphone market is struggling to find something new, instead most companies are becoming stale and stagnant.

in all honestly if I wasn’t so heavily into the Apple ecosystem I would of brought the Note 20 Ultra by now. But in reality the Apple ecosystem has me trapped.

 

[ian87w]

Imo people should not be buying the Surface Duo as a phone. It obviously has a lot of compromises, especially for the price, to be your regular day-to-day phone. It is intended to be the productivity tablet that is also pocketable. The cellular is for always-on data connectivity. Being a phone is coincidental imo. Microsoft is probably targeting enterprise use where they are currently using slow/outdated old Android tablets.

The problem is that Microsoft is sending these to Youtubers, who are regular consumers. Obviously the reviews will be form the perspective of a consumer, comparing it with Galaxy Fold or other smartphones. Missing the point, imo.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Imo people should not be buying the Surface Duo as a phone. It obviously has a lot of compromises, especially for the price, to be your regular day-to-day phone. It is intended to be the productivity tablet that is also pocketable. The cellular is for always-on data connectivity. Being a phone is coincidental imo. Microsoft is probably targeting enterprise use where they are currently using slow/outdated old Android tablets.

The problem is that Microsoft is sending these to Youtubers, who are regular consumers. Obviously the reviews will be form the perspective of a consumer, comparing it with Galaxy Fold or other smartphones. Missing the point, imo.

Yep could not agree more think I said something similar many months back this is not a device for the high caller and sms users or even to some extent e messages otherwise it would of had an external notification area

In some respects those that are not tethered to peeping at messages every few seconds its a welcome change

I am always surprised how often these reviewers especially those that post pro's and con's try and pigeon hole so many devices against their preference or personal norms

The other day I believe the Fold V2 was noted as a con not having some bundled accessories where Samsung have been far ahead of most in this area where the others were rarely marked down

 

[Expos of 1969]

in all honestly if I wasn’t so heavily into the Apple ecosystem I would of brought the Note 20 Ultra by now. But in reality the Apple ecosystem has me trapped.

Dave..... you have trapped yourself. But there is always a way out but you have to WANT out.

 

[Oohara]

Dave..... you have trapped yourself. But there is always a way out but you have to WANT out.

 

[nospleen]

Imo people should not be buying the Surface Duo as a phone. It obviously has a lot of compromises, especially for the price, to be your regular day-to-day phone. It is intended to be the productivity tablet that is also pocketable. The cellular is for always-on data connectivity. Being a phone is coincidental imo. Microsoft is probably targeting enterprise use where they are currently using slow/outdated old Android tablets.

The problem is that Microsoft is sending these to Youtubers, who are regular consumers. Obviously the reviews will be form the perspective of a consumer, comparing it with Galaxy Fold or other smartphones. Missing the point, imo.

I agree, but it the purpose is productivity, business users, etc., they have to fix the bugs ASAP. I don’t like bugs on my personal tech, but bugs on work/productivity products is a non starter.

 

[Dave245]

Dave..... you have trapped yourself. But there is always a way out but you have to WANT out.

A professional colleague of mine made the jump to the Note 20 Ultra not too long ago. He has been a longer iPhone user than I have (he had the very first iPhone where I joined in at the 3GS).
I’ve been using him as a sort of experiment to see how he gets on with it. It’s not the phone itself but Android that seems very daunting to me.

The last time we spoke (a couple of days ago) he told me that for the first few days he wanted to go back to his iPhone, but now that he’s settled into it he really likes the phone and in his exact words said “Apple would have to do a major amount of work on the iPhone to get me back”

he even let me play around with the device for a few minutes. I have to say the screen is so good compared to my 11 Pro Max.

the only thing he isnt 100% happy with is the offer of the free buds, he hasn’t received them and after calling Samsung he was passed around person to person. He was then told that it was an error on the part of the company he works for (they offer the discount). But over all he is really happy with the Note 20 Ultra.

I have to admit I’m jealous in a way, it’s kind of like looking over you’re garden fence to see the more attractive wife of the guy next door 😂

 

[Expos of 1969]

A professional colleague of mine made the jump to the Note 20 Ultra not too long ago. He has been a longer iPhone user than I have (he had the very first iPhone where I joined in at the 3GS).
I’ve been using him as a sort of experiment to see how he gets on with it. It’s not the phone itself but Android that seems very daunting to me.

The last time we spoke (a couple of days ago) he told me that for the first few days he wanted to go back to his iPhone, but now that he’s settled into it he really likes the phone and in his exact words said “Apple would have to do a major amount of work on the iPhone to get me back”

he even let me play around with the device for a few minutes. I have to say the screen is so good compared to my 11 Pro Max.

the only thing he isnt 100% happy with is the offer of the free buds, he hasn’t received them and after calling Samsung he was passed around person to person. He was then told that it was an error on the part of the company he works for (they offer the discount). But over all he is really happy with the Note 20 Ultra.

I have to admit I’m jealous in a way, it’s kind of like looking over you’re garden fence to see the more attractive wife of the guy next door 😂

Almost a year ago I bought my first Android phone, a Samsung Galaxy S10e and soon after my first Android tablet, a basic Samsung Tab A. A small learning curve with the phone and i have no complaints whatsoever. Great screens etc. When I look at my wife's iPhone I have no urge to go back.
There is other life out here and although all these tech firms play games and are often loose with the truth, I am happy not to be giving any money to Cook and his blatant hypocrisy.

 

[SDColorado]

Almost a year ago I bought my first Android phone, a Samsung Galaxy S10e and soon after my first Android tablet, a basic Samsung Tab A. A small learning curve with the phone and i have no complaints whatsoever. Great screens etc. When I look at my wife's iPhone I have no urge to go back.
There is other life out here and although all these tech firms play games and are often loose with the truth, I am happy not to be giving any money to Cook and his blatant hypocrisy.

I was an iPhone user since their debut, coming from Blackberry previously. I purchased my first Android/Samsung last year. Sure there is a bit of a learning curve and finding new ways to do old tasks, but that was also true when I moved to iPhone from Blackberry.

After I got past the "new box smell" of the Samsung Note 10+, I admit I had a little remorse and probably spent about a week of the 14 days return period thinking I made a mistake and should probably return it. But the closer I got to the 14th days, the more I was enjoying the phone and decided to keep it. No regrets in doing that. I really enjoyed the experience with the Note 10+, where I didn't hesitate pulling the trigger on the new Note 20 Ultra and no longer was even remotely interested in what Apple was doing.

There is some initial frustration and learning curve with breaking free from the Apple Eco, but in the end I found it somewhat cathartic.

 

[michael9891]

in all honestly if I wasn’t so heavily into the Apple ecosystem I would of brought the Note 20 Ultra by now. But in reality the Apple ecosystem has me trapped.

I thought you didn't buy the Note because you were waiting for the Duo?

I always laugh when people talk about being trapped in a tech ecosystem. If you're into tech and like the look of something, buy it. It's not hard.

 

[Dave245]

I thought you didn't buy the Note because you were waiting for the Duo?

I always laugh when people talk about being trapped in a tech ecosystem. If you're into tech and like the look of something, buy it. It's not hard.

i meant after excluding the Duo/finding out it wasn’t going to be released in the U.K at launch. Up until that point I was going to pre-order the Duo 100% but then it became a matter of time. By the time the Duo is released over here in the U.K (rumoured for early next year) the Duo 2 would probably not be too far behind it.

I get what you are saying, it does sound ridiculous but being in the Apple ecosystem does make it Difficult. Things like iMessage and so on.

 

[michael9891]

I get what you are saying, it does sound ridiculous but being in the Apple ecosystem does make it Difficult. Things like iMessage and so on.

Surprised iMessage is a reason by someone in the UK. I'd be hard pushed to think of someone that doesn't use WhatsApp for cross platform messaging.

 

[Dave245]

Surprised iMessage is a reason by someone in the UK. I'd be hard pushed to think of someone that doesn't use WhatsApp for cross platform messaging.

To be fair it’s not a big deal, I use iMessage with a couple of close friends. It was more of an example. I don’t have WhatsApp I think at 34 im probably a little old for it 😂

now that we know the Duo is having issues and it’s not likely to release here in the U.K until next year, I’m very tempted to buy the Note 20 Ultra give it a try and then when Duo 2 comes out with issues resolved and so on Jump on that.

 

[michael9891]

To be fair it’s not a big deal, I use iMessage with a couple of close friends. It was more of an example. I don’t have WhatsApp I think at 34 im probably a little old for it 😂

WhatsApp is a messaging app, what does age have to do with it?

 

[The Game 161]

I thought you didn't buy the Note because you were waiting for the Duo?

I always laugh when people talk about being trapped in a tech ecosystem. If you're into tech and like the look of something, buy it. It's not hard.

I don't get it

I have

Ipad pro 12.9
Apple TV
Air pods 2
Air pods pro
Homepod

And it all works fine now I have a note 20 ultra, and tab s7 plus

My remaining apple products still work great and as soon as WhatsApp is added for multiple devices I can reply to texts on any device...

Using Google photos has been a super easy adjustment

 

[Dave245]

WhatsApp is a messaging app, what does age have to do with it?

Just something I’ve never used. I get the point tho, I could use a different messaging app instead of iMessage.

 

[Dave245]

I don't get it

I have

Ipad pro 12.9
Apple TV
Air pods 2
Air pods pro
Homepod

And it all works fine now I have a note 20 ultra, and tab s7 plus

My remaining apple products still work great and as soon as WhatsApp is added for multiple devices I can reply to texts on any device...

Apple Watch doesn’t work with anything other than iPhone. I would need to get either another watch (I don’t like the round faces) or have 2 phones, something that I don’t like the idea of doing.

 

[The Game 161]

Apple Watch doesn’t work with anything other than iPhone. I would need to get either another watch (I don’t like the round faces) or have 2 phones, something that I don’t like the idea of doing.

Apple watches are great but unless you use lots of apps galaxy watch does alot of the same things...round watches are more like normal watches though. For me the smart watch game all I need is fitness features and notifications and a few sport apps to keep me updated

People should buy what they enjoy but my advice to somebody is if you see a phone out there that's better and does more than the one you have and that's an issue don't let an ecosystem decide how you spend your money

 

[ian87w]

I agree, but it the purpose is productivity, business users, etc., they have to fix the bugs ASAP. I don’t like bugs on my personal tech, but bugs on work/productivity products is a non starter.

It's a v1 product.

 

[Expos of 1969]

To be fair it’s not a big deal, I use iMessage with a couple of close friends. It was more of an example. I don’t have WhatsApp I think at 34 im probably a little old for it 😂

now that we know the Duo is having issues and it’s not likely to release here in the U.K until next year, I’m very tempted to buy the Note 20 Ultra give it a try and then when Duo 2 comes out with issues resolved and so on Jump on that.

Dave.....i am 61 and started using WhatsApp at 60. Why don't you start getting out of the Apple garden by doing something. Don't wait for the big product which is often too expensive for what it offers (Duo for example). Get a reasonable Android phone, stop using iMessage and relax, stop reaching for the non-existant Holy Grail. If at 34 you can't adapt to change i would be surprised and worried.

 

[Dave245]

Dave.....i am 61 and started using WhatsApp at 60. Why don't you start getting out of the Apple garden by doing something. Don't wait for the big product which is often too expensive for what it offers (Duo for example). Get a reasonable Android phone, stop using iMessage and relax, stop reaching for the non-existant Holy Grail. If at 34 you can't adapt to change i would be surprised and worried.

I did recently buy the Surface headphones 2, they have mostly replaced my AirPods Pro (except for when I go on a run) they are a decent pair of headphones! that’s a small start I guess.

 

[Expos of 1969]

I did recently buy the Surface headphones 2, they have mostly replaced my AirPods Pro (except for when I go on a run) they are a decent pair of headphones! that’s a small start I guess.

Well, you now have two sets of headphones and are still using the Apple ones. So not much of a start. More of a step backwards. You have to change the primary devices to make a big step in the right direction, not the accessories.

 

[SDColorado]

Apple watches are great but unless you use lots of apps galaxy watch does alot of the same things...round watches are more like normal watches though. For me the smart watch game all I need is fitness features and notifications and a few sport apps to keep me updated

People should buy what they enjoy but my advice to somebody is if you see a phone out there that's better and does more than the one you have and that's an issue don't let an ecosystem decide how you spend your money

I like that the Galaxy Watch faces are so much more customizable. Between what's available through the Galaxy Wear Store and apps like Facer, the choices of watch faces are endless. Apple watch you tend to get bored looking at the same rotation. The square face IS nice for reading messages and texts, but I think an otherwise dated look.

 

[Dave245]

I like that the Galaxy Watch faces are so much more customizable. Between what's available through the Galaxy Wear Store and apps like Facer, the choices of watch faces are endless. Apple watch you tend to get bored looking at the same rotation. The square face IS nice for reading messages and texts, but I think an otherwise dated look.

I do wish Apple would introduce a watch face store! They could easily charge people for different watch faces.

The shape of the Watch is a personal preference but I do prefer the more square Apple Watch look. Even before the Apple Watch came out I didn’t like round watches. My girlfriend brought a mechanical one for me as a present, I wore it couple of times and it went back in the box.

The Apple Watch for me is more about the health and fitness side. It’s by far the best smart watch out there in my opinion. i do a lot of running and so the Apple Watch is a must for me.

 

[ian87w]

I’m not sure why a Surface Duo thread becomes yet another banter about Apple vs Samsung. I guess it’s time to try the ignore thread button...