With the launch of the Galaxy F foldable smartphone from Samsung only days away, Xiaomi has now confirmed that it’s working on a foldable smartphone which will adopt a new design, software and folding mechanism, different from the anything previously witnessed.
The news comes from LetsGoDigital who first revealed 3D renders of the upcoming Xiaomi foldable smartphone followed by a statement by Xiaomi itself. The device will be a unique looking smartphone which will be folded twice with the main larger display located on the outside.
In a statement to the Dutch publication, Xiaomi said that the double folding smartphone is indeed the latest development from the company. The flexible folding screen used in the latest innovation will be co-developed by Xiaomi and its supply chain partner. In addition to that, the upcoming Xiaomi phone will feature a new design, folding mechanism and a different MIUI interface, all of which will be developed by the software team at Xiaomi itself.
The Chinese manufacturer was also quick at confirming that when such a smartphone released, it’ll be the first in the world to present a double folding smartphone. It’s said that the company is considering “Dual Flex” and “MIX Flex” as names for this smartphone. It has acknowledged that in the road to its double folding smartphone, it faces different challenges considering how the device is supposed to behave in single-folded, double-folded and tablet form.
A series of 3D renders have also been shared by the Dutch publication revealing two foldable sections of the smartphone, which bend backwards to cover the phone’s back panel. This will move the main UI to the middle-most part which will then be usable as a compact phone. When opened, the Xiaomi device will turn into a large screen tablet.
While we don’t see a camera unit on any of these renders, it’s believed that the foldable phone will feature the main sensor behind the primary screen, positioned off-centre. This could be explained as keeping the camera at the centre would need both flaps to be opened to use the sensor, while positioning it on one side would help make use of a part of the foldable panel as the viewfinder when clicking selfies.
The renders do reveal the USB-C port at the bottom and a physical button at the top centre. It’s expected that Xiaomi puts the earpiece at the top bezel.