Back in 2019, foldable smartphones had just entered the consumer market with varying degrees of success. Many OEMs had also showed interest and had even filed multiple patents as well. Xiaomi was one of them, but has otherwise been quiet about its first foldable smartphone. Although, the company has recently filed patent applications for a few designs that depict a foldable handset with a pop up camera.
The Chinese tech giant had applied for the design patent back in September 2020 with the Hague International Design System, part of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office). The company had previously patented a folding phone that had a design that was similar to the original Samsung Galaxy Fold, with an inward folding display and a secondary display on the outside. Now, the new patent also features the same design but with the inclusion of a pop up camera, as per a LetsGoDigital report.
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When unfurled, the device sports a large display that looks like a tablet. A vertically triple rear camera setup can also be found on the back. The hinge divides both halves of the device vertically from the middle. The front is surrounded by negligible bezels on every side, which essentially offers a full display surface on this side. Arriving at its most interesting aspect, the popup selfie shooter is housed on top of the right half of the device. This allows it to be used as a selfie shooter with both the larger primary display and the smaller external screen as well.
Unfortunately, finer details regarding this smartphone is currently unknown. This is just a design patent application, so it is also unsure if the Chinese tech giant is actually working on this smartphone. Although, the MWC 2021 event would be a great platform on which OEMs unveil innovative new products. So, we might hear more about the first foldable smartphone from Xiaomi soon.
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