Tired of waiting for the Surface Neo to be released? You can now boot Windows 11 on the Surface Duo – though you may want to hold off on it.
Gustave Monce has been sharing his attempts to install the software on the original Surface Duo for a couple of months now, and it looks as though he’s finally achieved it.
Monce tweeted a link to the guide and drivers you’ll need to install the latest version of Windows on the Surface Duo last week.
It’s important to note that this is an early preview of Monce’s progress so, while you can dual-boot Windows alongside Android right now, many functions and features won’t actually work at this stage.
These include touch, network, cellular and cameras (via Neowin). Basically, it’ll take away many of the features that make your smartphone, well, smart, so you’ll want to update with caution.
Monce reportedly used an unlocked 128GB Surface Duo running Android 10 and 11 to boot Windows 11, but the software should also work on the 256GB model. However, it is not compatible with the second-gen Duo.
You can also boot Linux on the dual-screen smartphone. Just make sure you back up all your data before you attempt to install any major software updates like these.
The Surface Duo was a dual-screen smartphone first unveiled by Microsoft at a Surface event back in 2019.
The device marked the company’s first phone since the Lumia and the Windows phone and was the first to sport two 5.6-inch displays that opened and closed like a book, essentially making it Microsoft’s answer to the foldable hype without the annoying crease in the middle of the screen.
The phone was succeeded by the Surface Duo 2 at the end of 2021, as we continue to wait for the delayed Surface Neo – Microsoft’s larger dual-screen PC – to make its debut.
