This $10 pen holder for Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 completes the device
Always have your Surface Pen with you, thanks to this simple accessory.
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What you need to know
One of the neat things about Surface Duo andSurface Duo 2is the ability to use a Surface Pen with it. You can use handwriting recognitionin Gboard, take notes in OneNote, annotate a PDF in OneDrive, or markup a photo.
However,securingthe pen to the device is tricky. There was never really an answer for this with the originalSurface Duo. Surface Duo 2 does let you stick the pen magnetically to the front, and you can spring an extra $65 for the forthcomingSurface Duo 2 Pen Cover, which also wirelessly charges the pen.
If neither option sounds great, this $10 Ringke Pen Holder is an easy recommendation.
First spotted onreddit, the pen holder is simple enough. It costs $10, but you getthreeof them in the bag, which is good if you change skins or need an extra for your Surface Pro. In these photos, you can see the pen holder with theSopiGuard"Rugged Bedrock Grey" skin.
Peel back the Ringke’s 3M sticker and attach it to your device, and you’re good for the road.
There are a few great things about going this route with the Ringke:
So far, theSlim Pen 2for Surface Duo 2 is like all my pen use for Surface products. I rarely use it, but I’m glad it’s there when I need it. This approach has only gotten better with Surface Pro X,Surface Pro 8, andSurface Laptop Studio, where the pen is now stored in the device. Using the Ringke Pen Loop is very similar — I keep the pen with Surface Duo 2 all the time now. Heck, it even gives something extra to grip when grabbing it.
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Of course, you may wonder about flipping the displays into “phone mode” or “one-handed mode.” Anyone using Surface Duo 2 can tell you that this is a big nothing burger as it does not impact usage. In fact, with the pen attached this way, it is consistent (versus the camera bump), which may give people some extra peace of mind. It also solves the wobble complaint some have when laying Surface Duo 2 flat (so long as you keep the pen in place, of course).
Using this pen loop could also be a much cheaper solution for new owners. If you already have a Surface Pro Pen, you can use it with this $10 loop for Surface Duo 2. That’s much better than dropping $135 for a Surface Slim Pen 2andthe $65 Surface Duo 2 Pen Cover. It also works just fine with the newSurface Duo 2 Bumper.
Overall, if you like the idea of having a Surface pen with you all the time, it’s easy to recommend the Ringke Pen Holder.
Bottom line:For just $10 (for 3x), this pen holder sticks to the back of your Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 to make sure you never lose your pen (and that you always have it with you).
Bottom line:Surface Duo 2 is a significant improvement over the first-gen with much better hardware, attention to detail, and software that is significantly less buggy. There are still issues to solve, however, and the high price will keep many away.
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.
