Microsoft: smartphone needs double screen because of smaller bezels

Smartphones will need a dual screen in the future if users want a larger display. This is necessary, because due to the smaller bezels of recent phones, the screen in the current housing cannot be much larger, Microsoft argues in a patent application.

By making a smartphone with two screens that users can place side by side, it is possible to integrate a larger screen into a housing that still fits in a pocket, Microsoft argues in a patent application noted by The Win Central. Recently, bezels on smartphones have gotten smaller.

With a dual screen it is possible to use the two displays side by side in a ‘tablet mode’, while the phone is also usable with a single screen. ZTE recently presented the Axon M smartphone with two 5.2″ screens, which together form a 6.75″ display. It seems that Microsoft has such a device in mind as well.

The concept has been doing the rounds in the rumor circuit for a while as a possible Surface Phone or ‘Andromeda’. Director Satya Nadella said earlier this year that Microsoft is working on a smartphone that should create a new category. Microsoft did that before with the Surface devices, which created the 2-in-1 category.

It is still unknown if and when Microsoft would like to release such a device. A week and a half ago, a patent application appeared for a foldable device with a self-adjusting hinge.