Microsoft: soon a Surface Trio, a smartphone with three screens?

At the bend of a patent, Microsoft is potentially preparing the arrival of the Surface Trio, a smartphone
with three screens.

This is obviously only a concept and nothing says Microsoft will ever use this patent, but the point is, the company has thought about it.

Three screens, triple problem?

On the patent filed by Microsoft, we therefore see a potential smartphone with three separate screens, attached to each other with hinges. Nothing much different from the folding smartphones we know today, like the Samsung Galaxy Fold 3, other than the addition of a display that wouldn’t just be on the outside, but well connected to the other two.

It is relatively difficult to understand how Microsoft could use such a patent. A smartphone with three screens that could be rolled out like a card holder would not be really practical. On the other hand, if this concept sees the light of day a little too early, it risks being confronted with many problems: solidity of the two hinges, zero repairability, protection of the screens, thickness of these, adaptation of the operating system. and of course ease of use.

What about the success of a potential Surface Trio?

It must be said that the success of such a smartphone would not be guaranteed. Microsoft is a for-profit company and to release a product that seems complex to understand (how will the screens fold? For what uses?) And the production cost undoubtedly particularly high would amount to taking a risk that is not necessarily very consistent.

When the Surface Duo smartphone was released, opinions were already fairly divided, not to say bad. First of all, the concept was not necessarily the best when competitors had managed to offer a single screen without a cut in the center, while Microsoft’s Surface Duo instead offers two separate screens. But what was really wrong was the performance side: despite a Snapdragon 855 with successful optimization, the software side did not follow, the photos were not of very good quality, the autonomy was too low. and the handling was meant to be unpleasant … all for 1,549 euros at the exit, just that. Enough to scare away many interested parties.

In addition, most of the “faults” noted by the Surface Duo have been found in its evolution, the Surface Duo 2. It therefore seems quite difficult to imagine that a Surface Trio, for example, erases the grip and the prices. exorbitant. Does Microsoft intend to use the patent in a smartphone, or in a slightly larger product that is better suited to such a concept? Tablet, laptop, some products may be suitable, others may not.

Source: Windows Central