A new Xiaomi patent has just surfaced online. While the Chinese tech giant has been seen covering all bases in the past with unique designs and more, the new patent is actually quite grounded with a pop up camera.

This patent was filed back in August 2018, which is during the time when smartphones with pop up cameras actually took off in the market. However, since then, the popularity has seemingly worn off with flagship models already shifting towards punch hole cameras and research and development being put into under-display sensors as well.

One notably flaw of the mechanized pop up camera system was that it made waterproofing the smartphone harder for OEMs. Thus, we may never actually seeing the handset as detailed in the patent. Although, we have no way of confirming that either. Looking at the patent images, the smartphone has the pop up camera linked to its rear camera module.

Xiaomi

In other words, the front and rear systems seem to be linked, with the pop up mechanism probably hiding behind it when not in use. On the bottom, a USB Type C charging port can be found which is flanked by a lone speaker grill. The regular features like antenna bands and mic can also be found, but the camera position is uncommon. A triple camera system can be observed on the rear with a periscopic lens, which was relatively rare in 2018, along with the primary lens and depth sensor. Unfortunately, it is unknown if Xiaomi will actually develop or launch such a device, but stay tuned for any updates regarding this handset.