Patents reveal that Microsoft is working on a Surface Trio device

It’s true that public reaction to Microsoft’s Surface Duo series of devices hasn’t exactly been what the company was expecting.

Now, however, it seems that the Redmond tech giant may be considering a new form factor, one that actually has three displays instead of two.

The patent for this futuristic design was discovered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) documentation, which means that we get an early look at the above-mentioned hardware.

A Surface device with three displays in in the works

The patent that Microsoft filed actually dates back to June 23, 2020, and was originally discovered by Patently Apple.

And even though the document is a heavy read, too technical for some the image included in it is worth more than a thousand words.

Basically, this upcoming device is essentially very similar to the Surface Duo, the only difference being that it will come with three displays, instead of the traditional two.

Looking at these plans, you might notice that the hinges are designed and positioned for one purpose. When the gadget is folded, it will only expose a single display at all times.

If you ever owned a Duo or seen one, you know that the Duo is reverse-folded, which means that it exposes both displays, or fold it towards yourself, hiding both displays.

But the words Surface Trio aren’t even mentioned in this patent, creators choosing to refer to it as a multi-panel display device.

By reading the patent, you can also find out that multi-panel display devices may be useful in a variety of different scenarios, as the creators so eloquently put it:

For example, multiple software application windows may be visually presented on separate display panels at the same time. Multi-panel display devices may use a hinge to allow for the display panels to fold in different directions (e.g., inward/outwards). Such foldability allows multi-panel display devices to have a larger total display area relative to a similarly-portable single display device, while also allowing for smaller folded dimensions relative to a non-folding display device offering the same display area.

Before you already make plans and add this future product to your wishlist, you have to remember that this is still just a patent for the time being.

As you can imagine, very few details about these new gadgets are currently available. We know little about tech specs or what software it’s going to run on.

All that’s left to do now is to wait for Microsoft to finish this product and make it generally available for the public. But considering that we’re talking about the Redmond company, who knows how long that will take?

We’ll definitely keep an eye open for any development in this story and report back as soon as we have some new details.

What’s your take on this new device patented by Microsoft? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.