Microsoft did not achieve the expected success with Android Surface Duo series smartphones. The company stopped production after Duo 2. However, this does not mean that it stopped trying.
Fresh Patent Application filed on February 29 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it appears that the company is working on another foldable mobile device with dual displays. The patent application describes the company’s take on the concept of a foldable smartphone with single-hinge technology, called a “ridge cover.”
Microsoft’s next smartphones may have a design similar to the Galaxy Z Fold
According to the patent filing, the phone could have a book-style “versatile display” similar to the Galaxy Z Fold. However, all attention was focused on the spine cover mechanism, whose task is to protect the single-hinged system of the device by covering a structural element.
What sets the regular hinge apart from Microsoft’s design is that the spine cover adjusts automatically as you open and close the phone, preventing unnecessary gaps around the hinge, protecting it from dust and water. Currently, Samsung’s design offers an IPX8 protection rating, which means the foldable devices are waterproof.
The patent further mentions that the novel hinge mechanism could allow Microsoft to eliminate the hinge crease, which is less perceptible than with current options on the market.
Moreover, Microsoft also mentioned techniques that could allow them to reduce the overall thickness of the foldable smartphone, allowing the spine cover to be brought closer to the device’s hinge when folded.
“By retracting the spine cover towards the central spine while rotating the first display support frame and the second display support frame to a face-to-face orientation, the width of the folded computing device is reduced, thereby allowing easier and more convenient operation of the device, e.g., with one hand,” he noted Microsoft in the patent.
Intriguing idea, but practicality is a question mark
The entire smartphone market is looking for a way to eliminate creases from their smartphones. Some brands have already implemented a waterdrop fold mechanism to reduce it, but there is nothing better than crease-free folding. Additionally, the durability factor of a foldable phone is also significant considering all the moving parts these phones have.
That said, adding another layer or moving part on top of the entire foldable mechanism doesn’t seem like a wise move despite the added benefits and durability that Microsoft explained in the patent application.
Fresh Patent Application filed on February 29 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, it appears that the company is working on another foldable mobile device with dual displays. The patent application describes the company’s take on the concept of a foldable smartphone with single-hinge technology, called a “ridge cover.”
Microsoft’s next smartphones may have a design similar to the Galaxy Z Fold
According to the patent filing, the phone could have a book-style “versatile display” similar to the Galaxy Z Fold. However, all attention was focused on the spine cover mechanism, whose task is to protect the single-hinged system of the device by covering a structural element.
What sets the regular hinge apart from Microsoft’s design is that the spine cover adjusts automatically as you open and close the phone, preventing unnecessary gaps around the hinge, protecting it from dust and water. Currently, Samsung’s design offers an IPX8 protection rating, which means the foldable devices are waterproof.
The patent further mentions that the novel hinge mechanism could allow Microsoft to eliminate the hinge crease, which is less perceptible than with current options on the market.
Moreover, Microsoft also mentioned techniques that could allow them to reduce the overall thickness of the foldable smartphone, allowing the spine cover to be brought closer to the device’s hinge when folded.
“By retracting the spine cover towards the central spine while rotating the first display support frame and the second display support frame to a face-to-face orientation, the width of the folded computing device is reduced, thereby allowing easier and more convenient operation of the device, e.g., with one hand,” he noted Microsoft in the patent.
Intriguing idea, but practicality is a question mark
The entire smartphone market is looking for a way to eliminate creases from their smartphones. Some brands have already implemented a waterdrop fold mechanism to reduce it, but there is nothing better than crease-free folding. Additionally, the durability factor of a foldable phone is also significant considering all the moving parts these phones have.
That said, adding another layer or moving part on top of the entire foldable mechanism doesn’t seem like a wise move despite the added benefits and durability that Microsoft explained in the patent application.
