If a newly uncovered patent goes live in the future, we can expect to see a Surface Duo 3 from Microsoft consisting of a single foldable display.
The currently available Surface Duo 2 uses a folding dual display (5.6-inch AMOLED display), but this patent appears to be for technology that would allow the creation of a single center-folding display (around a 360-degree hinge).
The patent, spotted by renowned Microsoft leakster WalkingCat on May 19, has the same capability with a folding glass screen and “multiple backplate slots extending from an upper surface of the backplate to a lower surface of the backplate to facilitate bending”. It describes a back plate showing.
MS Patent: FOLDABLE DISPLAY DEVICE https://t.co/De0GAT8aiF pic.twitter.com/BoBmXrGQy3
— WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) May 19, 2022
Microsoft has stated that some solutions for the folding screen, such as “an ultrathin glass layer with a plastic film” She says it tends to show physical imperfections like wrinkles or indentations along its fold, making it more susceptible to cracking.
The idea behind this patent seems to be that the aforementioned backplate slots should avoid such problems with mechanical wrinkling of the folding area and provide a seamless foldable device that should be much thinner than the current Surface Duo 2.
Of course, as always when it comes to patents, it’s better not to get too excited. Many patents only show technologies in the discovery phase, and the vast majority never reach consumer products. Also, even if Microsoft continues to develop this technology and make it available for consumer products, it may not be ready for the Surface Duo 3 and may appear years later.
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