A Dell patent has come to light shows a dual-screen device where the screens essentially act as one display. 

We've heard previous rumours about various laptop manufacturers working on laptop-style devices that use a large, single display that would cover the interior of both sides of the clamshell casing. 

A previous Dell patent showed a 2-in-1 device with a continuous flexible display. That was filed in September 2018 and showed a Surface Book 2-style hinge that makes a gap between the two halves so the screens don't rest on one another. 

The latest patent shows what is, perhaps, a more likely scenario - two distinct displays that, essentially, act as one display yet leave space for the hinge. Because of the need for laptops to be super-robust, we think a gap between the displays is much more likely to make it to market in the short-to-medium term. 

The design incorporates a 'narrow width dual axes' hinge - which we'd say is basically design code for "it's really thin yet strong". Dell says "the torque mechanism shifts away from the gear mechanism to reduce cap size at gear mechanism, providing a cleaner and more eloquent system appearance".

The narrow part means that the two halves could be basically used as a single display.