Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 goes up against Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 on UK’s The Gadget Show
Which form factor is better — foldable or dual-screen? The UK’s The Gadget Show tries to find out.
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What you need to know
Let’s be honest: Modern smartphones are only interesting these days when discussing the increasing variety of form factors, specifically around folding ones. But which style is better — dual-screens (Surface Duo 2) or folding vertically (Galaxy Fold 3)?
In reality, the answer is whatever works for you, but comparing the pros and cons of each design is still an important topic, especially for people plonking down large sums of money. That’s whyThe Gadget Show, which airs on Channel 5 in the UK (and spotted onReddit) recently looked at both phones.
In the video, which is both clever and entertaining, the presenters (Jon Bentley and Ortis Deley) go over the phone’s features and specs, as one typically does. However, they were quickly given some challenges to see which phone was better.
It’s no surprise that Surface Duo 2 wins out on multitasking for the first test. Most people find manipulating two apps on two screens more effortless and natural than the software divide found on Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 3. This conclusion is reached even though Fold 3 can show three apps at once, which Duo 2 cannot do.
But where the Surface Duo 2 falls behind is also predictable. The second challenge shows that Duo 2’s cameras are not as proficient as Samsung’s, with the latter known for overly contrasty (but user-preferred) photos. Interestingly, both phones had a bit of shutter lag. Cameras on folding devices are a generation behind current flagship models, just one of the tradeoffs with the form factor.
The final test is relevant and the easiest to foresee the outcome: Watching a high-resolution video. With Surface Duo 2, the split-screen interferes with the experience, whereas Fold 3’s “gutter” never hinders it (even if it’s slightly visible).
Of course, the point can also be made with dual-screen PC setups, where no one ever runs videoacrossboth displays, which is weird.
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So, which phone doesThe Gadget Showrecommend in the end? Neither. The presenters felt that tradeoffs are still too high (along with the price) to justify them. Early adopters, however, are likely to feel differently. It’s not uncommon to see people in forums and comments say that they can never return to a single-screen slab phone after adopting a folding one.
The good news is we’ll have a few years for this technology to evolve. A recentreport by Omdianoted that by 2026, foldables would only account for 3.6 percent of the total smartphone market, growing from the current 14 million units to 61 million. That’s a lot of phones, most of which are likely to be sold by Samsung, but it’s still a long way to go before these things are the new normal.
Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer,podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.
