Microsoft has just filed for a patent for a unique foldable phone that can be detached to form two individual screens.
Microsoft is foreseen to join the party on the foldable phones any time this year. The company announced that the Microsoft Surface Duo will hit the markets during the holidays of 2020. However, earlier leaks report that the launch may come earlier.
In fact, the Surface Duo may launch just a few days earlier or later than the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Fold 2. The dual-panel phone will not be Microsoft’s first rodeo in the smartphone market. Nonetheless, the excitement around the Surface Duo phone is palpable.
Microsoft is not resting on its hands while waiting for the launch. A recent leak shows that the company has just filed for a patent for a unique take on foldable phones.
Microsoft may launch a modular phone
The Surface Duo phone in itself is already an exciting concept. If the idea is executed well, it will completely change the way users interact with smartphones moving forward. However, the Redmond-based company is taking innovation to the next level.
A recent patent filing was discovered by Windows Latest showing that the foldable phone may get a modular upgrade. The new alleged phone is called ‘Hinged device’. Mayank Parmar of Windows Latests describes the new tech as,
“the patented device includes two portions that can be rotatably secured by a magnetic hinge assembly. The hinge assembly includes two portions with magnets, and Microsoft says it will use ferromagnetic material, such as iron, that is attracted to the magnets of the assembly.”
Screen detachability
The biggest wow factor of the new patent is that it can be separated into two screens. Only the LG G8X ThinQ can offer a similar feature, but not even LG’s phone can compare to the patent that Microsoft filed for.
LG’s adaption is not very seamless because the user has to attach the main phone to a case that houses the secondary screen. Without the main driver, the other screen is useless per se.
In Microsoft’s patent, the two screens can function seamlessly together, but can also work separately when detached. Also, the new ‘hinged device’ can be folded 180 degrees for a back-to-back screen phone.
There is no guarantee that Microsoft will push through with this new phone. However, the company has been working on this tech for the past ten years. As such, Parmar thinks that the company will release more phones like this in 2021.
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