Microsoft has taken the wraps off the second generation folding, portable, dual-screen smartphone: the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. And this one has some flagship specs. 

The device features the Snapdragon 888 processor, 5G support and the iconic dual-screened design that made the first model so intriguing. Plus, it's a phone. 

That processor means that its performance matches that of the most powerful Android phones on the market, and means it should have significantly boosted speed over the Snapdragon 855-powered first gen Surface Duo

Microsoft is calling this the thinnest 5G device, and it's covered in nano-coated 3D glass built by Corning, which it claims is really durable. And it's available in both Glacier and Obsydian colours. 

Microsoft Launches Surface Duo 2 photo 3
Microsoft

When shut, it forms this narrow, portable device that's easy to hold in one hand and those curves around the edges should mean it's comfy to hold too. What's more, the hinge is - according to Microsoft - the highest quality the Surface team has made. 

The hinge is designed to let you open the Duo 2 like a book, but also open up almost 360-degrees, allowing you to have the screens on the outside. That way, you can almost use it like a normal phone. 

Inside, those screens are both 5.8-inch OLED panels boasting 1344 x 1892 resolution and a pixel density of 401ppi. They feature HDR support with wide colour and 100% support for SRGB and DCI-P3 gamuts, plus a maximum 800 nits brightness. 

When open, the two screens form a 2688 x 1892 resolution 8.3-inch surface and boast 90Hz refresh rates to make animations super smooth. Both support all generations of Microsoft's Surface Pen stylus.

In addition, there's something of a unique feature called the 'Glance Bar', which is a curved screen that shows little snippets of important information, like the time and notifications you have waiting for you. 

Microsoft Launches Surface Duo 2 photo 5
Microsoft

There are three cameras on the back: a 12-megapixel f/1.7 primary camera with OIS, a 16-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide and a 12-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto with OIS and 2x optical zoom.

That's a huge change over the original Surface Duo which had one single camera, and will make the camera system actually usefuland more comparable to other modern-day smartphones. Plus, it can shoot 4K video up to 60fps and HDR video. 

Inside, two batteries combine to form around 4,450mAh capacity as well as 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and configurable 128GB, 256GB or 512GB storage options. And, as well as 5G support, it's got dual SIM support - although one of those is an eSIM. 

It's in software where the first model was mostly criticised, and in the Duo 2 Microsoft says it has worked on optimisations to ensure that you can share information between apps across the two screens as well as pinching to spread apps across them to form one, big view. 

There are also a number of games that can be used in a gaming mode where the bottom screen becomes a control pad and the top half is the game graphics, with the Duo 2 folded upright at an angle. 

Microsoft Launches Surface Duo 2 photo 4
Microsoft

With it being essentially like having two phones strapped to eachother it's no surprise that the phone isn't cheap. The Duo 2 is set to retail at around $1499 in the US when it goes on sale on 20 October. In the UK, pricing starts at £1349, and you can pre-order now.