Microsoft Surface Duo 3 design revealed via patent describing canceled foldable with flexible display

Microsoft discontinued its foldable devices – known as the Surface Duo – in 2023. However, the company reportedly made one last attempt with a foldable phone and developed a Surface Duo 3 before scrapping it. A newly discovered patent suggests what the next-generation Surface device would have looked like, with a single continuous screen and a kickstand on the back. This development comes after the discovery of a similar patent in March that suggested the Surface could still have a Lazarus moment.

Microsoft Surface Duo 3 design revealed by US patent

According to a patent application discovered by PatentlyApple, Microsoft may have abandoned plans for a device that could have become the Surface Duo 3. The patent reveals that it would have featured a single continuous display – a big change from the Surface Duo at dual-screen that never really took off and was shut down by the company last year.

Microsoft’s foldable device, according to the patent document
Photo credit: United States Patent and Trademark Office/Microsoft

The device would have featured a magnetically attached kickstand on the back, allowing the user to place it on a table vertically or horizontally, without the need for third-party accessories or cases. The patent also suggests a triple-camera setup on the back of the foldable device with a module similar in shape to Apple’s iPhone Pro models. Another design element of the device would have been its power button, which could be used to unfold it. In theory, this would have made manually opening it redundant.

The patent was reportedly filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on June 20. Although it was filed for a “kickstand for opening a foldable computing device,” it mentions a device with a “flexible” screen with supporting hinges that can fold. 180 degrees. This device is believed to be the now-canceled Surface Duo device. Notably, it was revealed a few months ago that Microsoft had abandoned plans for a similar device that it had dubbed Project Neon.

Interestingly, the patent application also mentions another device that has a flexible screen with support hinges that can rotate 360 ​​degrees so that the single continuous display faces face to face.