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I very nearly caved in to my inner geek last night, concluding that I could somehow justify getting myself a Surface Duo, now three years old and almost affordable. Yes, it has had its share of critics, eviscerated for its extremely flaky software, though legend has it that it’s improved massively in the intervening years.

Fortunately, by morning, rational though has returned, taking note that as of Sunday, Microsoft has officially ceased supporting the device. If I thought I could live with the device as a pocketable tablet, for taking notes on the go and watching YouTube on the sofa, that withdrawal of support has had me thinking again.

To the rational mind, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is an all round better deal on the affordable-but-functional front. Only, it doesn’t have that ultra portable form factor that really speaks to my inner geek. I was enthralled by the Surface Duo from the moment I first saw it; trust Microsoft to screw up on delievery.

There’s always the Galaxy Fold you might say, pointing out that it can be picked up refurbished at significantly less than its original asking price. True, but I’m not really enamoured by its design, so tall and fat when closed. Two products get closer to my ideal layout: the Pixel Fold and the Find N2, but the former is too expensive and the latter not available outside China.

What’s left? Hopeful anticipation that the Honor Magic V2 will be in some way affordable when it finally launches in the UK. Or that some kind of budget derivative will follow on in due course — an Honor V2 Lite, perhaps. That’s probably the nearest device capable of fulfilling the unrealised promise of the Surface Duo for the masses.

Until then, I must stave off my resurgent technolust, making do with what I have. I know I am not speaking of real needs or requirements. It’s just the very latest manifestation of two decades chasing after the latest thing in tech, from the Palm to the Netbook to the Tablet to the Smartphone. These strange objects of desire, once thought essential but now mostly discarded in favour of whatever came next.