Microsoft could bring Android 11 to the Surface Duo by the end of 2021

Gorgeous hardware, frustrating software

What you need to know

• Microsoft aims to bring Android 11 to the original Surface Duo by the end of 2021.
• The Surface Duo shipped with Android 10, and has yet to be updated to Android 11.
• There is no indication as to when or if the Duo will receive the Android 12 update.

When the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 was announced, we listened with bated breath waiting to see what version of Android would be arriving. Consisdering that the original Microsoft Surface Duo is still running Android 10, there were concerns that Android 11 wouldn't be arriving. That's not the case, but the Surface Duo is now not expected to receive the update to Android 11 until later this year.

A Microsoft spokesperson provided the following statement to The Verge:

"We remain committed to providing updates to Surface Duo, and we're working to bring Android 11 to existing customers before the end of this year."

For all of the wonder and marvel the Surface Duo offers from a hardware standpoint, the same cannot be said when it comes to software. Microsoft has been releasing regular updates for its first foldable phone, however, all of those updates have been geared towards improving the Android 10 experience. Until now, Microsoft has not clearly indicated when Android 11 would even be coming to the Surface Duo.

Now that we know the Surface Duo 2 will ship with Android 11, along with having an idea of what it looks like, the waiting game continues. In his first impressions, colleague Daniel Rubino of Windows Central pointed out that there are some minor changes to the interface, with an updated Microsoft Launcher. However, it doesn't seem as though there are any drastic UI overhauls that have been made. Hopefully, this means that Microsoft will begin the roll-out process once the Surface Duo 2 has officially launched.

Android Central reached out to get more details regarding a potential Android 12 update for the Surface Duo 2 but Microsoft declined to comment

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Microsoft Surface Duo 2

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This is what the first Duo should have been

With the Microsoft Surface Duo 2, the company is keeping the best features of the original, while adding new and unexpected features. These include the new Glance Bar, along with a refined hardware design that aims to be more durable than the first iteration. Plus, we have true flagship specs for a phone being released in 2021.