iFixit teardown reveals Microsoft Surface Duo’s unique hinge design

Microsoft Surface Duo has undergone a detailed teardown to give us a closer look at what is inside the dual-screen device.

The teardown, conducted by iFixit, reveals Microsoft’s Surface Duo comes with unique hinge-design compared to the one available on a handful of foldable phones available right now. iFixit described it as a “refreshingly simple hinge design” and found similarities with popular 360-degree laptop hinges.

The unique hinge design, however, does not help Microsoft Surface Duo gain much on repairability score. iFixit gave the phone a dismal 2 point on a scale of 10.

iFixit noted that “displays and back glass covers can be replaced without disassembling any other components.” It also pointed out several issues that make it difficult to repair. For instance, batteries are glued and require extensive disassembly when servicing.

“The USB-C port is soldered directly to the mainboard. Uncommon tri-point screws secure key components. Delicate OLED panels are not well protected from accidental prying, yet must be removed for most repairs. Stubborn glue at all entry points complicates any repair attempt,” it added.

Microsoft Surface Duo Specs, Features

Microsoft had launched Surface Duo last month. The dual-screen device with voice calling support is priced at $1,399, which is ₹1,04,600 approximately.

Surface Duo comes with two 5.6-inch OLED displays with 4:3 aspect ratio. The two screens, when unfolded, deliver a big 8.1-inch PixelSense Fusion display.

It runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor coupled with 6GB of RAM. It is powered by two batteries with a combined capacity of 3,577mAh.