Microsoft’s Surface phone efforts have long been dead, but a patent recently obtained by Windows Central revealed that the company has continued to explore the form factor since the Surface Duo line was discontinued in 2023. We already knew that the third-generation device would turn to a folding screen, and now we know more about the new hinge that would accompany it.
According to this new patent, Microsoft was testing a “spring-loaded” hinge design that would make opening the device easier with one hand. A common complaint about foldable phones today is that it’s difficult to open the two halves when closed, whether that’s due to the flat edges of the device or the strength of the magnets.
The patent describes two possible uses for this spring-loaded hinge. One design places the spring release button on the back of the device, while the other places it on the power button. My sources say that some Surface Duo 3 prototypes feature a two-stage power button that, when pressed all the way, activates a spring-loaded hinge. So it’s clear that the company has been testing multiple iterations of this design.
The patent application reads as follows:
“One example may include a first part and a second part secured rotationally through a range of rotation from an open orientation to a closed orientation. This example may also include a special separation assembly configured to convert a rotating torch associated with rotating the first and second parts in a closed orientation into a compressive force that compresses the spring. The selected separation is compressed to engage the first assembly part and disconnect the first part of the spring and disconnect the first part of the spring. and the second parts they are approaching the closed area.”
Microsoft’s pivot to foldable screen design took place in 2022 after the company decided that dual screens were not attractive to the market. With the pivot, I understand that the company knew that it would need to differentiate the folding screen smartphone from the competition somehow, and the spring-loaded hinge design was one of the ways to do that.
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I’m told the foldable Surface phone was codenamed Neon, and would have been the successor to the Surface Duo 2 if it ever shipped. It was looking at a 2023 or 2024 launch window, but that didn’t happen after the company pulled cash and reduced the Surface portfolio to essentials.
It’s hard to say, but I believe this patent was filed in 2024, so a year after the Surface Duo line was discontinued. This is likely leftover from before the product line was discontinued, and is not an indication that the company has re-examined the phones.
With that said, I still believe that a Microsoft phone with Android makes a lot of sense, although at this point no one should give them a chance.
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