Microsoft has discontinued the Surface Duo smartphone, but has filed a patent for a new foldable device with a single hinge system called ‘Spine Cover Plate’. The design aims to eliminate the hinge crease and reduce the thickness of the device while providing additional benefits and durability. However, its practicality remains uncertain.

Microsoft It didn’t have the success it hoped for with Android-powered Surface Duo-Series smart fone. The company has discontinued this lineup after Duo 2. But, this does not mean that the company has stopped trying.
New one patent application The file, filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 29, suggests that the company is working on another foldable or dual-display mobile device. The patent application describes the company’s take on a foldable smartphone concept with a single hinge technology called “Spine Cover Plate.”
Microsoft’s next smartphone may have a design like Galaxy Z Fold
According to the patent application, the phone may feature a “flexible display” in a bookstyle design, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold. However, the focus is on the spine cover plate mechanism which aims to protect the single-hinge system of the device by covering the structural element.
The differentiating factor between the regular hinge and Microsoft’s design is that the spine cover automatically adjusts when the phone is opened and closed to prevent any unnecessary gaps around the hinge and protect it from dust as well as water. Currently, Samsung’s design offers IPX8 rating which makes their foldable the only water resistant.
The patent further mentions that the new hinge mechanism could allow Microsoft to eliminate hinge creases that are less visible than existing options available in the market.
Additionally, Microsoft also mentioned technologies that could allow the overall thickness of a foldable smartphone to be reduced by allowing the spine cover plate to move closer to the hinge of the device when folded.
“By retracting the spine cover plate toward the central spine, such that the first display-supporting frame and the second display-supporting frame are rotated into a face-to-face orientation, the width of the folded computing device is reduced, making it easier and more comfortable to handle the device with one hand,” Microsoft said in the patent.
The idea is interesting, but practicality is questionable
The entire smartphone market is searching for a way to eliminate the foldable crease from their smartphones. Some brands have already implemented water-drop folding mechanisms to reduce this, but there’s nothing like a crease-free foldable. Additionally, the durability of foldables is also important considering all the moving parts in these phones.
That said, adding another layer or a movable part on top of the entire foldable mechanism doesn’t seem like a wise move, despite the additional benefits and durability touted by Microsoft in the patent application.