Patents reveal Microsoft too could be exploring foldable smartphones

After Samsung and LG, Microsoft could be the next to launch foldable smartphones. Last week Redmond company was granted a set of patents for devices with a flexible hinge and display that would convert a smartphone into a tablet.

According to MSPowerUSer, Microsoft had first filed this phone patent in October 2014. The report also detailed the patent filings with notes and diagrams of the foldable smartphone.

As per the various configurations shown off in the patents, the device seems to be having hinges to let users either fold or balance the screens onto each other to form a stand or tent-like structure while using the device. The pictures also reveal that the device will most probably have two or three screens that could be extended to turn the device into a mini-laptop.

Though these are just patents filings, many analysts are expecting the design to be a part of the high-end ‘Surface’ product lineup.

The news comes on the heels of Korean giants — LG and Samsung — planning to debut working foldable displays later this year.

As we’ve seen time and again, just because a company patents a certain technology, form-factor, or design, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to translate it into an actual product. Still, it’s an intriguing indication of one possible direction Microsoft is apparently considering.