According to a report from Windows Central’s Zac Bowden, Microsoft was working on a budget-friendly version of the Surface Duo 2 dubbed internally as “Cronos.” Images for the now-canceled device were recently spotted on eBay and were verified by the publication.
Details on this device are a little scarce due to the nature of the eBay listing, but judging from photos, it looks like this “Cronos” Surface Duo model looks a bit similar to the original Surface Duo 2, but with tweaks to keep the price down. That includes a smaller camera bump, a rounded design, a matte finish, and a flatter display. The listing for the device was up last month, and recently sold and removed.
“Cronos” intended to shop this year, according to Zac Bowden’s contacts, but plans changed when Microsoft wanted to shift to focus on the next Surface Duo model for 2023. It is unknown, though, how much Microsoft was planning to sell “Cronos” for, but we assume it would be much cheaper than the $1,000+ Surface Duo 2. At any rate, while “Cronos” never launched, it does suggest that Microsoft is serious about the Surface Duo and wanted to bring it to the hands of more people.
