What if the Surface Phone was foldable?
Foldable smartphones have been researched and rumored for years but there’s never been a compelling reason why this tech could be useful. Maybe Windows 10 changes that.
Yesterday yet another rumor appeared about both Samsung LG possibly launching foldable smartphones this year. This got me thinking.
A key advantage of Windows 10 Mobile is Continuum, allowing users to connect to a monitor and run apps from their phone on the bigger screen. The only issue with this technology is most people don’t have spare monitors with them when they want to do this. Wherever I have a monitor I have a PC connected to it. Technically and theoretically Continuum is great, its just not overly practical.
Unless, of course, you do carry around a bigger screen with you.
What if you only need to carry around one device with you though?
The rumors about the LG and Samsung devices is that they will fold from a phone to a tablet. That could work very well for the much rumored Surface Phone allowing users to switch to a bigger screen when needed. Then there’s also the announcement that Microsoft will bring full Windows to ARM powered devices, this could significantly change the does of things that can be done with Continuum. For example, it could be possible to run the full Photoshop app from a phone on a bigger screen. This would be great to do with just 1 device.
Perhaps Continuum and the ARM emulation offer compelling reasons for using a foldable phone.
Now I’m not suggesting that this is what Microsoft will offer, I imagine a foldable screen makes a phone bulky and the battery life short. Neither of which really make for a good productivity device but it’s intriguing to think about.
Its also not that different from what Microsoft had previously imagined for the future of technology. The company’s Product Future Vision video from 2015 showed off foldable devices, maybe the company is trying to realize this vision long before the 2020 estimate of the video.
What do you think to a foldable Surface Phone?
