The Surface Duo 2 has been around for a while, and it’s a big improvement over the original dual-screen hugger phone. Microsoft will hold a Surface product launch for the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Studio 3 in October, but it won’t include the company’s next-generation Android phone. While we still have no word on a potential launch date for the Surface Duo 3, it will likely arrive in 2023.
The Surface Duo 3 was previously reported to be in development, and now we’ve discovered a new patent application that further proves Microsoft is very interested in joining the growing market for foldable phones.
The patent application, titled “FOLDABLE DISPLAY DEVICE,” focuses on foldable devices, suggesting that the design could work for the Surface Duo 3, which was filed in 2021 and published earlier this year.
As you may know, the Surface Duo has two screens with a hinge that rotates in the middle. Microsoft is working on its successor, which is believed to be a single-screen phone. In this patent application, Microsoft discusses a single foldable panel that can go from zero to 360 degrees.
The images in the patent application show a foldable phone that can switch between a seamless tablet and a one-handed smartphone. This idea may only seem more feasible if Microsoft is able to create a new user interface optimized for this form factor. According to the document, the display of a foldable phone could be bent inward and outward.
That’s interesting, because while phones from companies like Samsung only support folding inward with the second display on top, Microsoft’s idea lets the Surface Duo 3 bend both inward and outward, something no Android manufacturer has tried so far.
Of course, the patent doesn’t necessarily mean that a Surface Duo 3 with this design is forthcoming. However, the patent gives us a better idea of what the company is thinking, and it’s possible that a similar design could be used for the Surface Duo 3 or a future device.
