Microsoft Andromeda Foldable Tablet With Magnetic Locks Spotted In New Patent

A new Microsoft patent has provided more information about the company’s rumored foldable Andromeda-running device. The document apparently reveals that the tablet-smartphone hybrid will have magnetic locks designed to support whatever configuration users want for the device.

On Friday, Windows Central reported about a new patent, entitled “Magnetic Block Locking of an Electronic Device,” after spotting a tip on Twiter. The document was filed in August 2016 but was granted only recently. Indicated in the patent is a magnetic locking system embedded in the foldable display of the device that allows users to lock the device in a folded state.

The hinge of the rumored Andromeda device reportedly supports from 0 to 360 degrees of configuration. It appears the magnetic locking system will be the one to regulate and provide support for the device to stay locked in a certain position. This means there’s going to be numerous configurations that consumers can apply when using the device.

Also mentioned in the patent is an assembly sensor that determines the position of the device by detecting the magnetic field of the two magnets that comprise the locking system. The sensor is said to determine the angle of the two displays. It’s possible that Microsoft could be preparing various features or a number of user interface designs for each configuration.

According to Phone Arena, certain Microsoft patents about an unusual device started popping at the start of 2017. All these documents appear to be hinting at a foldable tablet that can be transformed into a smartphone-sized handset. There have also been reports claiming that the new device will run Andromeda OS, a more streamlined version of its Windows 10 OS.

Though all of the patents uncovered so far may seem to be strongly suggesting that Microsoft is gearing up for the launch of its foldable device, it’s still possible that all of this will not see the light of the day. Companies typically patent their new inventions and technologies, but that doesn’t mean that all of them will materialize. Hence, it’s best to still take these patents and reports about Microsoft’s rumored Andromeda device with a grain of salt.