Microsoft Being equipped with Android, it did not achieve the success it expected Surface Duo series smartphones. The company discontinued the line after the Duo 2. But that doesn’t mean the company has stopped trying.
New patent application A filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 29 revealed that the company is working on another foldable or dual-display mobile device. The patent application describes the company’s adoption of a foldable smartphone concept with a single-hinged technology called a “spine cover plate.”
The next Microsoft smartphones may have a design similar to the Galaxy Z Fold
According to the patent application, the phone could feature a “flexible display” in a book-style design similar to the Galaxy Z Fold decis. However, the focus is on the spine cover plate mechanism, which aims to protect the device’s single-hinged system by covering the structural element.
The differentiating factor between the conventional hinge and Microsoft’s design is that the spine flap automatically adjusts to avoid unnecessary gaps around the hinge to protect the phone from dust as well as water when opening and closing. Currently, the Samsung design offers an IPX8 rating, which makes their foldables only waterproof.
The patent further states that the new hinge mechanism could allow Microsoft to eliminate the hinge crease, which is less visible than current options on the market.
Moreover, Microsoft also talked about ways to reduce the overall thickness of the foldable smartphone by allowing the spine cover plate to come closer to the hinge of the device when folded.
“As the first display support frame and the second display support frame are turned into a face-to-face orientation, by retracting the spine cover plate toward the central spine, the width of the folded computing device is reduced, thereby enabling easier and more convenient one-handed operation of the device,” Microsoft noted in the patent.
It’s an interesting idea, but practicality is a question mark
The entire smartphone market is looking for a way to eliminate the foldable wrinkle in their smartphones. Some brands have already implemented a water drop folding mechanism to reduce it, but there is nothing out there that can be folded without wrinkles. Additionally, considering all the moving parts of these phones, the durability ratio of the foldable is also important.
However, adding another layer or movable part on top of the entire foldable mechanism doesn’t seem like a smart move, despite the added benefits and durability Microsoft explains in its patent filing.
