• out of stock

Microsoft Surface Duo 128 GB US$430 (~A$585) Including Shipping (AT&T Locked with Free Unlock) @ Buydig.com (Parallel Import)

240

Credit to EggMan28 for their comment on the previous Woot deal for finding this cheaper and easier option. No need to use a forwarding service, can pay by PayPal and no GST!

The shipping estimator does not show Australia as a shipping destination. But as noted on the BuyDig shipping and returns page:

We currently ship to the following international countries: Canada, Great Britain, and Australia.

Shipping costs of US$40.99 are added in the checkout after entering address and payment information. This brings the total to US$429.99

The 256 GB version is also available for US$509.99 (about A$695) including shipping.

As noted in the other deal, although locked to AT&T they can be unlocked free by requesting an unlock code from Microsoft directly. Either by live chat, or calling their US support number +1 (800) 642-7676.

Related Stores

BuyDig.com
BuyDig.com

closed Comments

  • Is warranty affected?

    • +1

      JV IS BACK

      • -4

        No, it is just a TAN

        • Hahah took a second.

  • +5

    I can't wait for the next iteration.

  • No ipx 8

  • +2

    Super tempted for the dual screen but 3375mah battery.. Yikes. Good luck with that on a dual screen device.

    Then the camera and CPU is super dated.

    I think buying an actual tablet would be better

    • Definitely. Personally waiting for Galaxy Tab A7 Lite LTE to be sub $260.

    • +3

      I think buying an actual tablet would be better

      They have different use cases. The main selling points are that this is designed to run 2 apps side by side, and thatit folds so it's smaller so you can use it while folded for times when you don't need a larger screen (e.g. when talking on the phone).

      If you don't mind the large size of an actual tablet and don't need the 2 distinct screens, then this definitely isn't for you - a tablet would be better. But if you want something with the screen real estate of a tablet which you can fold and put into your pocket (and don't want to spend $2.5k on a Fold 3), then this would be worth a look.

      The CPU is the same generation as the Galaxy S10. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of people out there who find it powerful enough for daily use.

      • and no NFC means you can;t pay for that coffee after you sit staring at your unfolded screen, unless you then take your other phone out of the other pocket

        The Fold you can unfold and run side my side similarly AND pay for your coffee, what an innovation :)

        • +1

          and no NFC means you can;t pay for that coffee after you sit staring at your unfolded screen

          If you're techy enough to want a folding phone, you probably already have a smartwatch. :)

          The Fold you can unfold and run side my side similarly AND pay for your coffee, what an innovation :)

          Sure, you just have to pay 4x more. That can buy a lot of coffees!

          The aspect ratios for the side by side apps are different which makes the experience different. The Fold gives you two narrow screens if the fold is the separator, the Duo gives you two wider screens in that configuration.
          i.e.
          Duo
          Duo
          Fold2
          Fold2

    • +6

      "At least in the non-business market." - I dont think so … Azure is doing really well

      • -2

        Which isn't relevant to my comment because:

        1) Assure is in the business market. I said non-business, ie. consumer products.

        2) Microsoft is slowly shifting to Linux instead of Windows. https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-developer-reveals-li…

        • oops sorry misread
          but still .. I don't think so
          not until Mac and Linux supports gaming

          • @morediscount: More like when devs support Mac and Linux.

            Valve don't seem to care. Bring on the Steam Deck.

        • +5

          40% of Azure VMs being Linux-based does not equal "Microsoft is slowly shifting to Linux"', and the Microsoft operation system has never been more popular… The company has been performing very well across both its consumer and business divisions, and its stock price reflects that.

    • +3

      Windows irrelevant LMFAO, where is all your iCloud data stored? On MS Infrastructure.
      Thanks for my Ted talk, that is all.

    • Based on what exactly? Windows still has majority outside business too.. no one is gaming on a mac lol.

  • +2

    The Surface Duo 2 is supposed to have NFC, so should help it in the non-US market once it launches and will make me consider it.

    • Not sure yet if they will release it officially here ? and then if you do import it, you might run into issues with Android Pay not working because of that ??? NO idea, wait utnil someone guinea pigs it, or they announce an official release

      Sans NFC is pretty useless in Australia these days, I haven't need to carry a wallet for 2 years

      Lack of SD Expansion memory sees me nope out of this, the Duo 2 (presumably) and the Fold 3. My Galaxy Note 9 has 512GB and a 256 SD card (a headphone jack, and a embedded stylus both of which I use all the time) and I am 3/4 full now but an easy fix is a bigger SD card. I had been waiting for the Neo and then just use a slab phone… but alas…

      Was using the stylus the other day with my Note 9 with a contractor and furiously taking notes, he's like WTF is that magic … dude, the world is full of options, ditch the iphone and get something useful, some of us send more then Whastapp messages and watch porn.

      • Yeah I agree on the lack of SD expansion is an issue. My LG Velvet that I just got as Australian stock is the "European model" so I'm hoping that NFC and/or buying a European release of a Surface Duo 2 will not mean local NFC problems? My Sony Xperia which was US stock worked fine with Australian NFC too?

        I'm hoping that with NFC Surface Duo 2 will help it sell better in Europe which could generally help with global support. But as a former Windows Phone user, I am all too aware of Microsoft's success in its phone division, so I am tempering my expectations.

      • My Galaxy Note 9 has 512GB and a 256 SD card
        and I am 3/4 full

        What do you store on your phone?

  • +1

    GST will be charged on top of this?

    • +2

      Nope. Shipments with a value of less than AUD 1000 do not attract duties or taxes on import.
      https://www.abf.gov.au/buying-online/buying-online

      The other deal used a shipping forwarder, which chooses to collect the GST on such shipments and passes it on to the Australian Government. Some large online marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, etc.) also collect GST for orders destined for Australia. But BuyDig does not do this.

      • +2

        The other deal used a shipping forwarder, which chooses to collect the GST on such shipments and passes it on to the Australian Government.

        The didn't choose to collect GST, they legally have to collect GST. The added hassle of collecting GST and paying it to the government does not benefit them at all.

        Overseas businesses that sell over $75,000 worth of goods to Australians must register for GST. So smaller or more niche businesses likely won't hit that threshold, or at least won't attract attention like an Amazon or eBay would.

        • Yes, poor choice of word. Shopmate is run by Australia Post, so they don’t really have a choice. They have to follow Australian laws.

          In the case of eBay and Amazon, I understand why they comply with the requirement, as they both have local operations.

          But for businesses that have no operation in Australia, the requirement to collect GST is very hard to enforce. Hence, BuyDig just ignore the requirement. They definitely choose to not collect GST on Australian orders.

          • @mister_snrub:

            But for businesses that have no operation in Australia, the requirement to collect GST is very hard to enforce.

            There are lots of businesses that have no presence in Australia whatsoever (e.g. B&H Photo, woot.com, ShipItTo) but they still have to follow the laws. I suppose the government could easily seize any of their shipments if they didn't.

            BuyDig just ignore the requirement. They definitely choose to not collect GST on Australian orders.

            Small, low-profile stores like buydig could probably easily slip under the radar and pretend like they don't exceed the $75,000 threshold. Or maybe they really don't, so they don't actually have to register for it.

            • @eug:

              I suppose the government could easily seize any of their shipments if they didn't.

              I'm not sure it would be practical to do that. But the ATO does have information on penalties for non-compliance here:
              https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/International-tax-for-busine…

              If you choose not to comply with the law, the Commissioner of Taxation can take actions including:

              • intercepting funds from Australia that are destined for you
              • registering the debt in a court in your country
              • requesting the taxation authority in your country to recover the debt on our behalf.

              Those are certainly things that a business would want to avoid.

              But regardless, online businesses that don't collect GST, like BuyDig, are good for us.

  • Good camera on these

    • Not sure if serious but… No OIS and 3-5 second shutter lag makes not a good camera.

      • Not sure if serious but… No OIS and 3-5 second shutter lag makes not a good camera.

        Mine does not have a 3-5 second shutter lag. It's well under a second.
        It's definitely not comparable to e.g. a Galaxy S21 though.

  • OP, can you please provide the link for unlocking by live chat.

  • This looks so cool

  • I've had one, it's a cause for nightmares. The software issues alone will absolutely drive you up the wall. It sits on my shelf nowadays as a show piece.

    It feels really well in the hands… until you open it and see the huge bezels lol.

    You're much better off buying a budget phone and a budget tablet for the same amount of money lol.

    • +1

      I've had one, it's a cause for nightmares. The software issues alone will absolutely drive you up the wall.

      When did you last use it? Early software was buggy, there have been many updates since release though.

  • Hi op, I tried to check out and got an error saying they don’t ship to international countries. Just wondering how you went through the whole process. Cheers

    • They definitely ship to Australia. I have already received shipping confirmation from FedEx.

      In the checkout enter ‘other’ for country. If you pay with PayPal, your address from PayPal will be passed to the checkout. That’s when it calculates the shipping cost. I didn’t encounter any errors.

  • If this had a single foldable screen on the inside at the same aspect ratio, it would be my dream device. Just need the Duo and the Fold 3 to make a baby together, sigh.

  • If paying by PayPal, is it better to pay by a linked bank account or a linked credit/debit card in terms of fees? Thank you.

    • +1

      Depends if you choose to pay in AUD or USD in PayPal.

      If you pay in AUD, then PayPal do the currency conversion and your bank won't charge a conversion fee for either method of payment.

      If you pay in USD, then your bank or card provider will convert to AUD. This will usually involve a fee. But some banks or card providers don't charge a conversion fee (like the 28 Degrees card or Citibank debit card). You need to check with your bank or card provider.

  • +2

    Great deal, hesitated when needed to use the US address in the other post. I paid using paypal and they didnt charge the USD40 shipping fee even though the invoice included it. Maybe they'll charge a seperate transaction later for shipping. Already received an email for tracking number

    • +2

      The Duo arrived yesterday, love it. 2 separate sides for different apps is so useful. Perhaps the recent updates have solved the problems that gave it bad initial reviews. Highly recommended

      • Did they charge the USD40 for postage? They did to mine.

        • They did, I rather they charged it now than potentially charge more (incorrectly) later

      • Good to hear. Mine arrived yesterday also. I'm now waiting for the unlock code from Microsoft.

        • I'm using it with wifi as a tablet for now. I hardly need to use the cellular functions of my phone due to the current lockdown

        • Did you go on live chat or did you have to call them?

          • +1

            @dreamykitten: I used live chat. Provided serial number, IMEI and the name of the retailer (BuyDig). They said it should be maximum 5 business days.

  • +1

    Looks like the 128GB is out of stock. Only the 256GB is available.

    • It's now back in stock but price has gone up to USD $415 before shipping.

  • Hi all,

    Price has dropped to US$389, and I was going to give it a try.

    Can someone who bought from Buydig pls let me know how they managed to get Australian address filled in on the Shipping Information page. Itried Other but the form does not allow me to go further.

    Thanks

    • +1

      Pay with PayPal, no issues. Took about 10 days via Fedex to Melbourne.

      • +1

        Thanks. I just forged ahead and was able to specify Australia in the next / confirmation page. I received the purchase confirmation email from Buydig, but have not seen the $$ deducted from my account yet … fingers crossed :-p

      • +1

        So the first attempt failed because my bank sent a transaction confirmation in the middle of the night when I was fast asleep, and it got cancelled by Buydig :-( So I tried to pay using Paypal as advised, and that got rejected by PayPal with no notification at all … finally called the bank (on hold for almost an hour) and they said anti-fraud measures had kicked in, and asked if I would like to whitelist BuyDig … so I put in another purchase, and it is currently still in purchasing status after 4 days although payment has gone through according to my bank statement .. :-p

        Oh well .. not in a hurry, but still quite a bit of effort :-D

        • +1

          Lucky they still had stock. Let's hope it works out for you this time.

          • @dreamykitten: Thanks, got the tracking number yesterday :)

            Next is to look for screen protector and case / skin and sort out the unlocking once it arrives .. from the other thread, someone said At&T had much faster turnaround than the Microsoft approach, so eager to try that out.

            • +1

              @NewbiefromVic: I did mine through AT&T. Took about a week? Real easy. They'll send emails saying they need more time (automated reply) but then came through in about a week's time.

              • +1

                @dreamykitten: FedEx was amazing .. scheduled for Thu delivery, and I got it today! :-D Yay … lots of setting up to do ..

  • +1

    Now USD489 including shipping for 256gb

  • Still has stock, couldn’t resist despite moving to iOS from android!! Probably play with it for a bit then sell on eBay

    $700 delivered for 256gb isn’t bad …

  • +1

    Extra info which, hopefully will be helpful for anyone else who bought AT&T locked version

    1) Logged ticket with AT&T online and received email to confirm request
    https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/
    2) Almost a week, and just 1 email update (we are working on it)
    3) Went to online chat with Microsoft support (not for faint of heart - waited almost 4 hours)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjSq4bVYLd4
    4) MS Support says they have escalated it and should be done in 7 days

    Fingers crossed.

    Experience with the device thus far

    • Some bugs, especially in relation to rotation but generally ok
    • Performance is ok, but tweak the settings in Developer Options to make it better (i.e. Animation scale etc.)
    • Dual screen is handy for running 2 apps (e.g, Edge and YouTube)
    • Office works (as expected of a Microsoft device)

    Cheers

    • +2

      Received 2 emails from At&T with the unlock code :-) Probably get 1 (or 2 more) more from Microsoft, but hey, Surface Duo is now unlocked and working.

      For all those waiting, it takes a bit of time, but if you go via At&T site and Microsoft chat as per the above, it should work, albeit it was faster for some (2 days vs 7 days). I guess with more and more people getting on the discounted Surface Duo train, it will take time to process.

      Thanks op for posting this deal, really enjoying my Duo :-)

      Cheers

  • Got my unlock code a week after submitting request with AT&T, unlocked fine too.

    Saw that Duo2 is announced now but still no regrets getting this at this price, compared to over AUD 2K for Duo2.

Login or Join to leave a comment