Microsoft patents new foldable phone with durable display

     Microsoft offers excellent products under its Surface brand, such as Surface Duo and Surface Book. According to recently published patent details, Microsoft is now developing the next generation of dual-screen phones, called "Surface Duo 3", which may be more durable. Recently, a new patent called "Foldable Display Device" shows a dual-screen foldable device.

　　The device uses a single foldable display. Microsoft calls it a "single-piece back cover" and it uses a rollable material in the expandable area, which is located near the hinge, which means its design will be similar to the Galaxy Fold.

　　This new design no longer takes up as much space inside the body of the foldable phone, which means Microsoft's next-generation foldable Android phone could be thinner than a dual-screen device, and this "back cover" design is more durable than the Galaxy Fold and similar foldable phones.

　　In the patent application, Microsoft talked about a foldable device that folds 360 degrees at the folding part. It uses a back cover and a cover glass layer covering the entire display, a luminous layer is added between the back cover and the cover glass layer, and there is also a back panel between the back cover and the luminous layer.

　　While this sounds exciting, we know that devices that use a single screen or ultra-thin layers of glass and plastic films often have noticeable mechanical creases. A perfect example is the Samsung Fold, which has wrinkles and other visual blemishes on the folding portion of the display, and is also prone to cracks and other physical damage.

　　The patented Surface Duo 3 also uses foldable glass, but its back panel uses a "back panel groove" to achieve folding while avoiding mechanical wrinkles.

　　Microsoft noted in the patent application: "The present embodiment also provides consistent transparency and light transmittance of the entire display screen, including the folding portion, as well as mechanically strong components. In this way, the display device disclosed herein can be freely rotated through various angles and directions, while also exhibiting a substantially uniform and smooth surface in various folding and planar directions, providing users with a pleasing, high-quality appearance and experience."

　　The patented Surface Duo 3 could be a durable device with most of the advantages of a foldable phone. At the same time, it would also have fewer problems. Of course, this is just a patent and there is no guarantee that it will join Microsoft's Surface lineup, but let's not forget that the Surface Duo also initially existed only on paper.

　　Given recent organizational changes and Microsoft's increased focus on the Android platform, such a device is certainly possible. A Surface Duo 3 with this design or more ambitious ideas could land at any time. Microsoft is currently focusing on software for devices like the Surface Duo, and the cadence of launching the next generation of dual-screen or foldable phones is still a bit slow.