The Surface Duo was a failure for Microsoft. Yes, it had some pretty serious hardware and software issues for a $1,399 device.

• Really, though, the failure was how strongly Microsoft pushed the device. 
• In the end, and despite the launch getting pushed back many months, it was still way too much for a first-generation product. Reviews were not good. 2/5 from us is pretty bad.
• It had hardware problems despite Microsoft’s exceptional Surface line of laptops and tablets.
• And it had software problems that ranged from odd to unbelievable for a shipped product, despite Microsoft employing tens of thousands of engineers, though of course, not many work on Android devices.
• Microsoft did later cut the price to $999, and continued to patch and improve the software experience.

Still, that’s first-gen tech for you, and credit to Microsoft for trying. (No one was forced to buy it, after all.)

And, apparently, credit to Microsoft for trying again because now there’s a Surface Duo 2:

• The first leaked images of the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 landed yesterday, courtesy of an unknown YouTuber, as you can see above.
• So unknown is the YouTube channel Tech Rat that well, it’s hard to be certain if what we see is anything much.
• But, Windows Central stepped up to confirm the reports that suggested what you see is what’s expected to come out of Redmond. Editor Daniel Rubino said: “Let us clarify: it is a prototype, but also a near-final design. This is what they are going for.”
• So here we are — it seems real. 
• Mostly, the leak shows a key new development, which is a redesigned rear, now housing a camera module. 
• It’s still a prototype, apparently, but the original Duo didn’t have a rear camera at all. And while this version looks a lot more generic-smartphone-like and odd, if it does now sport three lenses, that’s likely a much-improved camera.
• That’s a good sign for one of the worst features of the Surface Duo, in that the camera struggled in lots of conditions, though things improved over time, just as OnePlus does with its own releases as well.
• The idea of the Surface Duo was that dual-screen glory of popping a workspace on one display, something else on the other, and being more productive, locked in, and able to work in different ways. Just like Samsung promises with the Galaxy Z Fold series…
• In any case, price, availability, and exactly what Microsoft has done to haul the whole Surface Duo line out of the mud, should all be interesting when the time comes.