The next big thing in the mobile industry appears to be the foldable smartphone, and Microsoft has been rumored to be quite committed to such a project, as several patents spotted recently have demonstrated.
But while a Microsoft Surface Phone remains a dream that’s yet to come true for many company diehard fans, Samsung appears to be moving a lot faster, as a report indicates that production of its own foldable smartphone could begin as soon as November.
While calling Samsung’s smartphone a rival to the Microsoft Surface Phone might seem a far-fetched statement for the time being, it’s important to know that neither company has offered a confirmation for such a project until now and they’re both in the stage of speculation.
A report from The Investor, however, which proved to be quite a reliable source for Samsung information, reveals the South Korean firm wants to begin production of its own foldable smartphone in November, as the final specifications and production plans have already been decided. Display development should be completed by March, the report adds, while panel production is due to start in September.
As far as the specs are concerned, it’s believed Samsung wants to use a 7.3-inch OLED display that “folds inside,” and the parent company is now trying to run endurance tests to determine how panel layers and adhesives withstand long-time folding and unfolding. Some prototypes are said to be ready for a super-private unveiling to key Samsung clients at CES this week.
While Samsung’s project appears to be in an advanced stage already, not the same thing can be said about Microsoft’s Surface Phone, whose current state is still unknown at this point.
Patents discovered recently, however, indicated that Microsoft has been exploring not only ways to connect two different displays for a foldable approach, but also several approaches to install camera modules on a folding smartphone.
As it’s the case on launched Surface models, Microsoft’s tech appears to be based on an innovative hinge design that would seamlessly connect the two displays and allow for several form factors, including tablet when the device is flat.
