Would you like to have Android 13 on your Surface Duo? An ex-Microsoft developer is working on an optimized version of this operating system for the dual screen device.
The Surface Duo is a foldable smartphone that was released in 2020, but is currently stuck on an old version of Android. Microsoft released Android 12L for the foldable and its successor, the Surface Duo 2, in September 2022, but hasn’t updated the device since and hasn’t mentioned any plans to bring Android 13 (or 14) to the device anytime soon.
They create the first Android 13 ROM for Surface Duo
An ex-Microsoft developer named Thai Nguyen is experimenting with filling the gap with a stock version of Android that’s optimized for the Surface Duo’s unique hardware. In a short video posted to Twitter, Nguyen shows a rough run of stock Android acknowledging the different stances of the Surface Duo.
Step aside Pixel Fold, we have a real foldable in the house. Pixel Experience on Surface Duo, with posture support!
Test build soon! pic.twitter.com/Hayp20FVsB— Thai Nguyen 💻 (@nqtspinner) May 15, 2023
This is significant, since Out of the box, stock Android has no idea what to make of the foldable and its many poses. It doesn’t recognize when the device is in dual screen or single screen mode, so some extra work is needed to achieve that functionality. It looks like Nguyen is experimenting with bringing that functionality to life.
The video is from a version of Android 13, but the job should be relatively easy to port to Android 14 once that version is finalized. Upon completion, this third-party ROM would be the first for the Surface Duoand would bring the device up to date with the latest version of Android, something Microsoft itself has had a hard time doing.
Of course, this customized version of stock Android will lack many of the other unique features of the device, like Microsoft account integration, but for many people that might be a small sacrifice.
The project is still taking its first steps, but we will follow it closely. Would you like to test Android 13 on your Surface Duo? What do you think of Thai Nguyen’s work? Leave us your comments below.