The Surface Phone is being rumored to be delayed to 2019, but reports say otherwise. Lately, several patents of a foldable device have made its way to the internet, hinting a possible launch of the Windows 10 Phone very soon.
A report by Express revealed the most recent patent filed by Microsoft. The patent describes a foldable device that has multi-layers of display, which would allow a panel to have curved edges. The function of the curves is to draw the light away from the gaps.
This would then allow the alleged Surface Phone, when folded out into a tablet, to have one whole image. The gap that would normally interrupt the image will look non-existing thanks to this trick.
This patent is only the latest one out of many others previously revealed. Other patents discovered describe the same thing: a foldable device of some sort. It is generally accepted that this is the Surface Phone and the surge of leaks hint that its release date is near - possibly within 2017.
Other designs show a large screen with a hinge, allowing it to fold into a smaller device with a smaller screen. This would then make the Surface Phone a hybrid between a smartphone and a tablet, which fits right under the Surface brand.
Microsoft prides itself of its Surface devices that usually have two functions. The Surface Book is a laptop that has a detachable screen, which works as a tablet. The Surface Pro, on the other hand, is a tablet that can be fitted with a keyboard. The Surface Phone is only expected to be the same.
And in line with the Surface brand, the Surface Phone is believed to have high specs. The powerhouse will likely include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with up to 8GB of RAM, Science Times noted. The other two models will reportedly have less RAM but still powerful enough to compete with other flagships.
Microsoft is yet to announce a release date for the Surface Phone. Stay tuned for updates.