Considering how popular the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has been for its performance and interface, it's unusual that the Surface Pen is still powered by conventional AAAA batteries instead of the more popular rechargab lithium-ion cell. According to images that allegedly leaked from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the Surface Pen may finally get what it deserves.
According to Microsoft from the patent filing via Patently Mobile, the Surface Pen prototype is "a stylus may provide active functionality that is powered by a rechargeable battery. A charging circuit within the stylus may provide charging current for recharging the battery via one or more terminals configured to contact charging contacts of an associated stylus charger."
This tells us that the Surface Pen will feature a "contact" dock for charging. What's more, the dock will also serve as a place to hold the Surface Pen stylus when it is not in use.
Multiple illustrations from the leaked patent filing exhibit how Microsoft intends for their charging dock to work, including a magnent that secures and aligns the pen to its proper charging position.
Unlike the popular Samsung Galaxy Note 5 phablet, Microsoft cannot engineer an in-body docking solution for the Surface Pen given that the Surface tablet is designed to be even thinner than its stylus.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2 are slated to arrive later this year. Stay tuned as we expect to learn more details regarding the new Surface specs and features in the months ahead.
