Posted on 12/28/2021 11:44:25 AM PST by Red Badger
Pictured is TCL’s tri-fold conceptPhoto: Sam Rutherford/Gizmodo
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Microsoft hasn’t quite stuck the landing with its Surface Duo folding smartphone attempts, but the company is already eyeing the next major advancement, and it could be as simple as adding another screen.
A patent discovered by Patently Apple suggests Microsoft is toying with the idea of creating a smartphone with three displays and two hinges. It’d look something like a trifold wallet, or a triptych for you history buffs out there.
The concept is essentially the current Surface Duo with a third panel connected to one of the screens by a second hinge. This way, you get even more screen real estate when the device is completely unfolded, yet the phone wouldn’t be much larger than current foldable models because the three panels would stack on top of each other.
Image: USPTO But it would, we assume, be pretty damn thick and heavy—so chunky that it might not be the sort of thing you can comfortably hold in your hand or keep in your pocket. So hopefully by the time this device sees the light of day—which probably won’t be anytime soon, if at all—Microsoft finds a way to trim down each layer of this smartphone cake. Remember, Microsoft’s Surface Duo opens and closes at a central hinge rather than using a foldable display, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Impracticality of this thing aside, I’m rooting for Microsoft’s tri-headed beast to make its way onto the market if only for the sheer absurdity of it all. Who wouldn’t want a play with a phone that could transform into a 10-inch (or larger) tablet with a motion that’s as easy as opening your wallet? Sure, fiddling with two hinges may sound too fussy, and dual-screen phones are already too cumbersome for some folks, but I’m here for the chaos.
Plus, one of the downsides of the current Surface Duo is that there is no screen on the exterior. Microsoft added a Glance Bar to the Surface Duo 2 so you can quickly view notifications, but you still need to use two hands to open the phone before you can use it. This patent could solve this limitation with a third screen that faces outward so you could use the Surface Trio (?) like a normal smartphone when you don’t need three panels overwhelming you with information.
It turns out Microsoft isn’t the only company considering a tri-screened phone. Uncovered by LetsGoDigital, Samsung in mid-June filed a patent with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) describing a similar device with three displays that can fold into a Z shape. Samsung showed us how this fantasy device might look like in a brief video posted to YouTube earlier this year.
Even more tangible is TCL’s trifold concept, which we called “awkward and incredibly cumbersome” but found the ability to unfold the phone into a large tablet “pretty impressive.”
While we typically caution you from getting excited about concepts described in patents, enough of the big players are tinkering with three-screen phones to suggest one could find its way onto the market—whether this is a good idea or not.
Technology is pretty freaking cool these days.
Make it trio tablet sized, put gaming stuff on it. The hot new GM screen.
This comes at I time when I miss by Western Electric Model 500 set really badly.
It’ll do exactly what I said. They know how many folds it will take, and then they designate that as the “lifespan” f the device.
It’s a gimmick destined to fail and be pretty much rejected in the market.
It probably won’t. And it isn’t. They’ve been working hard on folding screens for a while. They’ve been out in the market almost 2 years now. They’re not a gimmick and they haven’t been rejected. They are kind of freaking expensive. But that will change. Right now you’re the guy in the mid 70s saying electronic car windows are a fad.
“… Right now you’re the guy in the mid 70s saying electronic car windows are a fad.”
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They’re not a fad? You just wait until you’re in your powered windows car completely underwater with the power not working… you whippersnapper!🙀
My Surface Duo (v.1) has completely changed my ability to get things done on a cell phone. Starting with the ability to hold it like an open book, which is much more natural for two-handed use, to the ability to use both screens simultaneously for different tasks. Spreadsheets are actually useful on this device, as well as Kindle, which to me has always been useless on a single-screen phone.
I have kept, btw, my iPhone, as it’s more handy for things like a flashlight and... uh, that’s what I use it for mostly, lol.
How about one that works like a Jacob’s Ladder, and unfolds both ways? You know, for people who text while driving and crossing streets...
LOL at least SOMEONE here has a hint of recall.
It’s not that I don’t like the convenience of electric windows. I just dislike:
Being dependent on the ignition being ON
Being dependent on the battery still having juice
Being dependent on the switchgear ALL operating to design.
THE WEIGHT (approx 50 lbs PER WINDOW) penalty.
Absurdly complex wiring.
There are more reasons, but these are the first that come to mind.
Luddite? No, just not convinced of the need for this level of complexity.
Given that the screens on cell consume the most energy and processor cycles...gonna need a bigger, much bigger battery.
OTH the heat generated might have a mini grilled cheese sammich function.
Doesn’t have to be on, just on to the electronics level (same as the stereo). And there’s nowhere near 50 pounds worth of stuff in there, maybe the old days but stuff is more efficient now. The general wisdom out there now is that all 4 weigh a total of about 10 pounds. It’s not really complex.
Of course all that’s beside the point. The point was comparing something that used to be thought of as a fad that is now ubiquitous to something that the guy was insisting was a fad and is already proving not to be.
I think even the doubles are kinda weird.
People do that and just use an earpiece for calls. I saw a pic of someone once holding it up to their head like a massive phone.
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