The second (and last) Surface Duo features a pair of 5.8-inch displays that can be used as an external cover screen on the front or on the back of the phone. When the device is fully open, users have a tablet-sized 8.3-inch canvas to work with. Let’s give the Surface Duo a moment of silence. That’s enough. Now, what is next from Microsoft in the way of a smartphone? A patent application filed by Microsoft might shine some light on the form factor that the company is considering for its next connected phone.
The Surface Duo 2
Microsoft is looking for the spine cover plate to kill two birds with one stone. The phone will be more durable and thus less prone to sustaining damage from an accidental hit. And it also will make it harder for a crease to be visible. By pulling itself closer to the hinge mechanism when the device is closed, the spine cover plate makes the phone thinner and easier to hold.
Illustration from Microsoft’s patent application
In the patent application, Microsoft writes, “By retracting the spine cover plate toward the central spine as the first display-supporting frame and the second display-supporting frame are rotated into a face-to-face orientation, the width of the folded computing device is reduced, thereby enabling easier and more comfortable handling of the device, such as with one hand.”
The Surface Duo had its supporters even though it truly was a niche product. When Surface chief Panos Panay left Microsoft last September, it might have changed Microsoft’s future plans for another Surface phone. Still, this patent application has been published and we will see whether it leads to a real foldable phone from Microsoft.
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