14 DAY TRIAL // The Surface Phone is a project that everyone hopes to be true, and even though Microsoft hasn’t yet confirmed it, information that emerges every once in a while confirms the company is at least looking into building such a device behind the closed doors.
A new patent discovered by MSPU and titled Wireless Communications Device describes a foldable phone with LTE support that would benefit from stronger signal thanks to this special form factor that would separate the wireless components.
But what’s more surprising is that Microsoft actually provides specifics on this design, even offering dimensions on each part of the device. What’s worth mentioning, however, is that these details were only provided for the patent, and while they could be used for eventually mass producing a similar device, there’s little chance to see this exact project going live.
How the whole thing would work
And yet, it’s interesting to see how Microsoft sees the foldable phone approach, so check out the attached photo and read the description below for more information:
“In the implementation shown in FIG. 1, display 112 is raised above second housing 104 by an amount roughly equal to the thickness of first housing 102 such that, when wireless communications device 100 is in the closed position, display 112 and first housing 102 sit flush with respect to one another.
In this implementation, second housing 104 may measure approximately 6 mm by 72 mm by 74.5 mm, except in the area of display 112 where the thickness is double, approximately 12 mm. First housing 102 in this implementation may measure 6 mm by 72 mm by an amount such that first housing 102 and display 112 equal approximately 74.5 mm.
Therefore when wireless communications device 100 in this implementation is in the closed position, its dimensions are approximately 12 mm by 72 mm by 74.5 mm and, when wireless communications device 100 is in the fully open position, i.e., when angle 108 equals approximately 180°, its dimensions are approximately 12 mm (o.47 inch) by 72 mm (2.8 inch) by 144 mm (5.6 inch).”
Even if Microsoft does not build a foldable phone, it’s pretty clear that the company was looking into such a project at some point, and this is confirmed by the plethora of patents discovered in the last couple of years.
If the Surface Phone gets the green light, do not expect it to hit the shelves sooner than 2018, though anything could change overnight given it’s not even a confirmed project.