Could this be our best glimpse at the Surface Phone yet?
A new patent filed by Microsoft appears to reveal some interesting tidbits about the long-rumoured foldable gadget.
Codenamed Andromeda, the new Microsoft device appears to be made of two separate OLED panels which are joined by a hinge.
According to the patent, which was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organisation, that hinge looks like a complicated piece of engineering.
Internal magnets appear to maintain the position of the displays, whether the device is in a folded, or unfolded configuration.
Andromeda appears to support a flat configuration, a tent mode, and a more traditional “laptop” mode, serving up different user experiences for each set-up.
The patent also details several methods to keep a continuous user interface running across two OLED panels.
There are also references to a “Surlink” connector, which some speculate could be the Surface charger used on Microsoft’s other two-in-one hybrids and laptops, and a USB-C port.
Microsoft clearly has some ambitious plans for the so-called Surface Phone.
The patent references a bedside alarm clock to use overnight.
The news comes as code buried within Microsoft’s Whiteboard app was uncovered earlier this month, including a few nods towards a new foldable Surface Phone.
One of the most persistent rumours about the so-called Surface Phone was that the smartphone would include a hinge, enabling owners to increase the size of the display by folding opening the device and increasing productivity.
Code within the Microsoft software points directly to a device with this design.
According to a reliable Windows tipster, known as WalkingCat online, the Whiteboard app includes references to “Journal; app’ left and right page references.”
This is another clear hint that Microsoft is working on a device with a separate left and right interface.
The Journal app referred to within the code could be designed for said hardware.
WalkingCat detailed another reference within the Whiteboard app.
“This is the accessibility title for the whiteboard application which is a single large canvas for creation with a chrome toolbar at the bottom,” the leakster tweeted.
Earlier this year, a user claiming to be a former employee of a Microsoft contractor posted on Reddit, stating the Surface Phone wouldn’t launch for at least another year.
The source – who shared the news under the handle zombieacc – said the device would “probably” be released in late 2018 or 2019.
The source went on to claim that despite this delay, Microsoft is not giving up on the Surface Phone, which is set to be one of the most powerful devices launched by the company.
“Nobody knows what they are working on right now, but they don’t seem to be giving up,” the user added.
“Some special phone-PC-like Windows 10 ARM device will probably arrive in late 2018 or 2019. I have no more info on that, but I think Windows 10 ARM is much further away than some of us hope.”