Microsoft Surface Could Soon Come With Reverse Foldable Display From LG

Clamshell foldable designs rule the market now but Microsoft might be thinking of something better for the Surface Duo. It filed a patent for a foldable device that will be capable of 360-degree screen rotation. This could change the foldable experience and get rid of having a third-second screen on the front.

Microsoft filed a 37-page patent describing the intricacies of the reverse-folding device. In addition, LG just unveiled a 0 to 360-degree folding display. It seems an almost planned move for Microsoft to file a patent just before that.

Microsoft Surface Duo: Surface Foldable Display

The images from the patent document showcase device that could fold both inward and outward. This isn’t uncommon as Microsoft Surface Duo does that easily. But the designs hint toward a foldable display that can move 360-degrees. Furthermore, the designs indicate that there would be almost zero gaps between the display, which seems a struggle for many brands.

The current Microsoft Surface Duo and Duo 2 use two displays instead of one. Microsoft relies on the software side of things to make it feel like one. But two individual screens cause a lot of missing text and content due to the separation. Despite many software upgrades, the Duo 2 failed to impress as much as the foldable from Samsung.

LG’s New Foldable Display

LG unveiled two new folding displays last week, as reported by GizmoChina. One of them was rather unconventional but could be a boon for the foldable industry. This new foldable display can move 360-degrees which means you can open it inwards or outwards. Microsoft could use this display to create a new foldable that has a single screen. It would be different from other clamshell offerings which use a separate display for the front.

The size of the new OLED display from LG is more or less the same as the proposed foldable device by Microsoft. If Microsoft wins the patent, it could be the very first brand to release a phone with a display that can fold both inwards and outwards.

You may think that Microsoft may be rushing to launch the Surface Duo 3 but that’s not the case. According to Windows Central, the brand will focus on improving the software experience of the existing Duo devices this year. So, you will have to wait a bit before it announces a phone with a 360-degree folding display.