Microsoft is still trying to figure out exactly what it takes to be a successful Android OEM. The company’s first self-branded Android phones, the dual-screen Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2, tried to revive Microsoft’s mobile ambitions after the death of Windows Phone. They leave a lot to be desired, however, and the first version went through awkward sellouts. A continuing blow to devices has also been very slow OS updates from Microsoft. Unlike, say, Windows and Windows Update, Google’s expensive and time-consuming Android update process places the responsibility for updates on the hardware vendor, and a big part of being a good Android OEM is how quickly you can navigate in this complex process. Microsoft is proving to be not very good at this.
Android 12L brings a lot of changes aimed at larger-screen tablets, but the clunky in-between Surface Duo seems to have settled on a phone interface. There’s no dual-pane notification bar, nor is there a taskbar (ironically very similar to Windows 11) at the bottom of the screen.
Microsoft says the Surface Duo skin build is trying to make Android feel more like Windows 11 with “unified iconography, colors, and user interface controls”that makes Microsoft’s Android phone feel “an integral part of the wider Windows ecosystem.”One highlighted new feature is the pen menu, where a click at the top of the Surface Slim Pen 2 opens an app shortcut bar. It is not yet known when Microsoft plans to release the two-month version of Android 13.