Microsoft Surface Phone: Recently Discovered Patent Could Hint At Unconventional Design For Smartphone

Rumors currently pointing to a possible late 2017 release for the Surface Phone

By John Paul Sunico, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, January 18, 2017

The Surface Phone is essentially a blank slate at this point, seeing as how no one really has a solid idea of what it will look like and what kind of features it will offer, but a recently discovered patent may offer some clues with regards to what Microsoft may have in mind when it comes to this particular device.

Spotted by MSPoweruser, a new patent filed by Microsoft describes a device that utilizes a flexible hinge. With the flexible hinge included, it then becomes possible for people to use the device in different ways.

The hinge can be set in a way that allows the device in question to be used as a smartphone, or it can be adjusted so that the device can transform into a tablet.

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The patent points to a very interesting concept that the rumored Surface Phone could end up being based upon, but is it being realistic to expect Microsoft to build upon this idea when it comes to their next flagship smartphone?

Well, if nothing else, it's not like unusual ideas have stopped the folks over at Microsoft before. As The Verge pointed out, the company has not been shy when it comes to bucking convention with their Surface-branded devices, so it wouldn't be all that surprising if they did that again with their new smartphone.

Unfortunately, foldable or not, it's still unclear exactly when this new smartphone may first see the light of day.

Unlike many other flagship smartphone offerings, there is no currently established release window attached to this particular device, given that this would be the first of its kind whenever it may finally hit the market.

For what it's worth, there are some rumors hinting that Microsoft may opt to launch the Surface Phone sometime during the latter portion of this year, so people may want to keep an eye out for that as there's a chance that this new device could be something very different.