The past few days have brought new hope for the few Windows Mobile and Surface Phone fans, with numerous renders and patents popping up. They all show the same thing: a dual display smartphone, that gets turned into a tablet, with a minimal hinge action. Today we have even more detailed patent aspects, through the renders shown below.
These are actually an extended leak from the previous patent image cache, but this time in more minute details. We see a special USB Type-C port variety, a low profile one, that would fit on a slimmer device. The level of detail is quite impressive here and it’s meant to keep the device as slim as possible when folded. Then there’s a Surflink connector, also with a low profile and it’s supposed to connect the ribbon cables of each device half.
A closer look reveals mentions of OLED panels, flat glass edge rotations and translations, plus cable routing through hinges. We can even see a section of the mechanism and small cogs that make the whole thing fold. While the two screens have flat edges, that really join together with zero seam, there are intricate mechanisms below that let you “part the seas” and use the two screens separately after splitting them.
It seems that Microsoft really went out of its way to make this device foldable, but without using flexible panels or materials, just cogs. I have a feeling this device won’t be ready for CES 2018, or MWC 2018, but rather for BUILD 2018 in Spring. I’m sure that we’ll also see hands on leaks by then. Still, are people still enthusiastic about this product?
