Xiaomi has patented yet another foldable smartphone design, and this one is similar to the Motorola Razr. The company submitted this patent back in July of 2018, and it was approved at the end of October this year.
The patent was submitted with CNIPA (China Patent Office), and Xiaomi also provided some sketches as part of it. That is the usual practice when companies submit design patents, of course.
Xiaomi quite probably got inspired by the Motorola Razr
It is difficult not to see that Xiaomi got inspired by the Motorola Razr for this device. The device folds vertically, right down the middle, and it has two displays.
The main display is visible when the phone is unfolded, and based on the provided sketches, we’re looking at a rather high display. If we had to guess, we’d say that this panel has a 21:9 aspect ratio, just like the one on the Motorola Razr.
The top bezel of the main display is noticeably thicker than the bottom one. Xiaomi will include a front-facing camera up there, at least one. Bezels are generally quite thin, though.
The display on the outside seems to be smaller than the one on the Motorola Razr. This is actually quite a tiny display which will show only some basic information. Think of it as a display on a smartwatch or a fitness tracker.
Two cameras are included on the back of this phone, and they are vertically-aligned. In-between those two cameras, an LED flash is located, it seems.
Based on these sketches, this phone will feature a zero-gap hinge as well, just like the Motorola Razr. We’ve seen that hinge in action yesterday, as Motorola announced its first foldable smartphone. This is something that Motorola did right, better than Samsung, it seems.
This phone may not even become a reality
We’re not sure if this phone will become a reality or not. Every company submits a number of such patents, but doesn’t manufacture all of them. Xiaomi still has to release its first foldable smartphone, and based on what we’ve seen thus far, it will fold horizontally, not vertically.
This phone may still become a reality in the future, though. Xiaomi probably won’t confirm anything anytime soon, though, so don’t hold your breath.
Xiaomi actually patented another rather interesting foldable smartphone recently. That device includes five pop-up cameras, and it folds horizontally. That phone was also patented over at CNIPA.
Xiaomi is just one of many OEMs who are looking to unveil their foldable devices in the next year or so. It remains to be seen when is Xiaomi planning to show off its first foldable, though. We were expecting that to happen by the end of the year, and that is still possible. On the other hand, we may have to wait until 2020.
