It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Xiaomi are currently one of the most important smartphone companies around. They have an extremely strong lineup of devices, from budget devices, to mid-rangers, to top-of-the-line flagships. But despite all this, the company has yet to introduce to a proper Xiaomi folding phone.
While Xiaomi does technically have the Mi Mix Alpha, that’s a completely different type of device that doesn’t have the typical features of a folding phone. Some have even been questioning whether we’ll even see a folding phone from the company. Well, today we’ve have gotten a glimpse at some patents for such a device courtesy of LetsGoDigital.
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Halfway through 2018, Xiaomi filed a design patent for a pull-out phone with a side bar. The documentation was approved and only recently published on December 6, 2019. There are some product images included where a device is shown that can be pulled into a tablet format. It’s a very interesting take on a folding phone, which we’ve seen before.
If you remember from last month, we saw a very similar design patented by LG where the device unrolled like a scroll from a small form factor into tablet-sized device. Unlike LG’s solution however, Xiaomi’s patent seems a lot more robust. In fact, Xiaomi’s device looks like it could legitimately take form and isn’t just a plain and obvious concept.
The Xiaomi version of an extendable device begins as a normal sized smartphone, which can then be pulled to the left to extend further. The camera module on the back seems to sit on what will be the pull tab, while the front cameras sit on a side bar akin to the current back camera situation on the Mi Mix Alpha. It’s definitely a good concept device.
Unfortunately, lots of patents get approved yet amount to nothing. A good example is the LG folding phone we just shared, which still has had no presence in any LG release. It’s a shame, but chances are we’re not going to see anything like this launch, at least not for the next few years. We’re definitely excited for the idea however, and we can’t wait to see someone actually attempt it.
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