Microsoft’s foldable Surface Duo price drops to $999, arrives in Europe next week

Microsoft is dropping the price of its foldable Surface Duo device to $999, and launching it in Europe and Canada next week. The Surface Duo will be available in the UK, France, Germany, and Canada on February 18th. It’s the first time the dual-screen Surface Duo has been available outside the US, for both businesses and consumers. Priced from £1,349 in the UK, the Surface Duo will be available at the Microsoft Store in the UK and retailer Currys PC World.

The Surface Duo is also launching in Canada, France, and Germany on February 18th. The device will be priced at 1,549 euros in Germany. Microsoft first launched the Surface Duo in the US in September 2020, and it has taken the company around five months to complete an international release.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The $400 price drop to $999 certainly makes it a more affordable device, but when we reviewed the Surface Duo last year we praised the hardware and found the buggy modified version of Android made it difficult to use at times. The device also lacked many non-Microsoft apps that took advantage of the dual screens. TikTok was one of the bigger third-party apps that got updated specifically for the Surface Duo last year, but there are still not enough apps taking advantage of this unique hardware.

While Microsoft has promised monthly updates for the Surface Duo, the company failed to deliver an update in December. The updates haven’t done enough to improve the software experience of using the Surface Duo, despite its obvious potential.

Update, February 11th 10:00AM ET: Article updated with Surface Duo launch details in other markets and updated US pricing.