Our Best Look at Microsoft’s Foldable ‘Androdmeda’ Device Yet
Just around a week ago, Microsoft published two new patents for its foldable mobile device detailing a key imaging feature designed by ex-Nokia engineers. And now, yet another patent of the foldable device has been published by Redmond, giving us the best look yet at its “Andromeda” device.
A couple of patents for the foldable device has been published by Microsoft so far, all of which revolve around the hinge design of the device. It’s no secret that Microsoft’s Surface team loves their hinge designs, and Andromeda will probably have a fancy hinge as well. The latest patent, first spotted by MSPU, similarly focuses on the “self-regulating” hinge of the device, detailing all the technical aspects of the seemingly tiny hinge design that Microsoft is working on.
Microsoft goes into a lot of technicalities on the patent application as it’s supposed to do. But the simple thing you need to understand is that the self-regulating hinge effectively connects the two portions (“surface”) of the device, and you will be able to use the device in a couple of different modes thanks to the hinge. One mode will let you place the device on flat surfaces (no pun intended), letting you view content like movies, videos, pictures, etc. on both the displays.
The bezel between the two surfaces/displays notably seems incredibly tiny, almost non-existent, which could allow for an amazing viewing experience. The design looks elegant from the patent, but it’s unlikely Microsoft will be able to pull off such a spectacular display design with the first version of the product.
There’s another eye-catching mode where the second portion of the device seems to display a virtual keyboard and trackpad, kind of like the Lenovo Yoga Book, allowing you to use the device as a regular laptop. And then there’s the regular viewing mode where you can just watch something or check the time, weather, notifications on the primary display of the device.
Microsoft is still believed to be working on its foldable mobile device, and the final product won’t likely show up before the end of next year or early 2019. Microsoft has been rumoured to be working on a foldable device for years, but we are starting to get a comprehensive idea of what the real deal would look like thanks to these new patents.