One of the biggest smartphone announcements in 2019 was Microsoft’s unexpected Surface Duo. The dual-screen Surface Duo launched alongside Surface Neo, Surface Pro X, Surface Pro 7, and Surface Laptop 3.
Microsoft’s new dual-screen device runs Android and it’s not a traditional slate phone, but it can make calls and take pictures. Leaked photos recently revealed Surface Duo comes with a front-facing camera and a flash, which indicates that the phone may not come with a rear camera.
Rumours also suggested that Surface Duo may not come with a great camera to compete against the likes of Google, Samsung, or Apple. However, Microsoft has patented a Surface Duo-like device that has multiple front-facing cameras and patent highlights various ideas to improve the image processing capabilities of the device.
In the filing, Microsoft says a dual-screen device can have up to four cameras, wherein the first and second camera simultaneously capture an image. The first and second modules are configured to face the object, while the third and fourth cameras are configured to face forward.
In another example, Microsoft says the hinge gesture could be used to determine the selected camera function from the plurality of available camera functions.
“The first camera and the second camera simultaneously capture a respective first image and a respective second image, the first and second images are captured as a stereo pair of images. The processor is configured to process the first image of the stereo pair with a red filter according to the selected function. The processor is configured to process the second image of the stereo pair with a cyan filter according to the selected function, and the stereo pair of images is displayed as a single anaglyph image,” the filing reads.
