Microsoft might have gotten incredibly silent about the development of its future devices like the long-rumored Surface Phone, but details about specific upcoming features continue to be unveiled. Just recently, a patent about an upgraded stylus has emerged, suggesting that the Redmond-based tech giant might be looking into creating a better Surface Pen for its Surface line of devices, including the ever-elusive Surface Phone.
The patent, titled “ Stylus with Visible Light Regions ,” was filed by Microsoft on April 5, 2018. The patent involves a redesign of Microsoft’s stylus, placing colored LED lights on the Surface Pen itself. According to the patent, the light-emitting elements might be used for notifications even when a Surface device is not being used. Lights on the upgraded Surface Pen would be used to indicate different notifications, states, operations, properties, actions, or behaviors.
As noted in a Surface-Phone.It report, the patent describes the LED-enabled Surface Pen in more detail. According to the patent’s design, the LEDs will be placed at the top, center, and bottom of the stylus. The actual use of these lights was not indicated in the document, though the publication speculates that the upper LED lights might correspond to a function that is currently activated, while the center and bottom lights might be employed for notifications and battery level indicators.
In a lot of ways, an upgraded Surface Pen would fit well within Microsoft’s line of devices. Thus, if Microsoft would release the foldable Surface Phone, now dubbed as Andromeda, in the near future, there is a pretty good chance that the device would be compatible with the upgraded Surface Pen that Microsoft appears to be developing.
How Surface Phone/Mobile would differ from Microsoft Courier concept #Surfacephone https://t.co/sSSaIYc95p pic.twitter.com/5OJwhMk3AT
— WinCentral (@TheWinCentral) November 12, 2017
One of the key functionalities of the Surface Phone , after all, is its productivity capabilities. As could be seen in Microsoft’s previous statements, the company is not aiming to battle iOS or Android in the smartphone industry anymore. Rather, it would attempt to create a device that would cater to a demographic that is limited with Android and iOS.
This demographic, of course, is comprised of power users — people who need desktop-grade computing in the palm of their hands. This is where the Surface Phone would come in, and with an upgraded Surface Pen and its rumored ability to run full-fledged Windows programs, there is a pretty good chance that it could meet the needs of even the most demanding of users.