MICROSOFT

Brand patents smartphone that doubles as an accordion

A new Microsoft patent reveals a design that resembles the company's existing Surface Duo folding smartphone, but has an additional case section with a screen in its design. A kind of accordion smartphone that turns into a tablet.

The patent was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office last week. It contains a sketch of a device, with two hinges and a large canvas made up of three separate sections. When folded, the device can be used like a traditional smartphone. Its shape is reminiscent of existing Surface Duo devices.

There are more details, including information about the hinge mechanism and how to interact with the device. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft plans to release the smartphone depicted in the patent application, but several other manufacturers have already demonstrated this type of concept device. For example, China's TCL showed off a dual-hinged smartphone last year, though it hasn't gone into series yet.

Image source: Microsoft patent