A folding phone/tablet is coming to AT&T, but not from Microsoft

If you sit long enough on a good idea eventually someone else will not only think about it but also bring it to market.

Such it appears has been the case with Microsoft’s enigmatic unicorn, the Surface Phone, which is believed to a foldable phone/tablet which has appeared in numerous patents, and is rumoured to exist in prototype form on Microsoft’s campus.

Much more real it appears is the strangely named Axon Multy by ZTE, which according to accurate leaker Evan Blass is a dual-screened phone which folds open into a 6.8 inch tablet.

When closed it appears to look like a clamshell with 2 1080P screens on the outside on both the front and the back.

When opened up the 2 screens forms a contiguous 6.8 inch of goodness, powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage and a 3120 mAh battery.

It is also said to have a 20-megapixel camera for both front and rear shots.

Of course running Android, the device is expected in October on the AT&T network for the knockdown price of $650, aimed at promoting AT&T’s DirectTV streaming TV service.

No images have leaked of the device yet, and considering it’s ZTE I do not expect as sleek a device as the concept above, but at least someone will be testing the market for the transforming gadget, which may help Microsoft finally decide whether it’s a worthwhile venture or not.

Read more about the ZTE Axon Multy at Venturebeat here.