Microsoft Surface Duo fire sale puts device at 50% off

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  The Microsoft Surface Duo. It’s very big. [credit: Ron Amadeo ]

We’re about seven months into the life of Microsoft’s first ever self-branded Android phone, the Microsoft Surface Duo, and that means it’s time for fire sales! Microsoft’s dual-screen device is now selling for 50 percent off its original $1,400 sticker price at $699. The Surface Duo never projected itself as a strong seller—the device had a $200 price drop just one month after launch—but this is easily the lowest price ever for the device.

Microsoft tried something different with the Surface Duo and turned in an ultra-thin, dual-screen Android device that let you either use two apps side-by-side or flip the 360 hinge around into single-screen mode. The device was not reviewed well, though, thanks to its awkward form factor, buggy software, stratospheric price, and weird spec decisions.

The nicest thing you can say about the Surface Duo is that it’s an absolutely beautiful device. It’s probably the thinnest Android device of all time at only 4.8mm thick when open. Two perfectly flat, uninterrupted panes of glass make up the front and back of each half of the device, giving the whole thing a lovely minimalist notebook vibe.