Xiaomi mulls clamshell foldable that breaks in two
After the recent revelation that it is working on a buttonless phone that is to be released next year, the world's third-largest phone maker after Samsung and Apple, Xiaomi, now shows that it is exploring other radical form factors.
A patent unearthed by 91Mobiles on the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) platform depicts what looks like Xiaomi's Mix Flip foldable phone. Instead of a foldable display crease bending around a hinge in the middle to shut the phone, however, the upper half detaches from what looks like pogo pins.
It also looks like the upper half with the multi-camera sets can rotate around an axis, if need be for taking pictures or recording videos, if that is what Xiaomi wants it to do.
Now, what is the purpose of such a motion, and why is Xiaomi exploring this form factor, remains to be heard, but it surely looks like one of the more intriguing takes on possible handset designs. One possible explanation would be the desire to do away with the expensive and fragile hinge that is a foldable phone's weakest point.
Xiaomi is also allegedly working on the so-called Project Zhuque, a phone without buttons of the type Apple was rumored to develop before the design trends turned and car, appliance, or electronics manufacturers started bringing buttons and knobs back due to popular demand.
It remains to be seen what other take on the foldable smartphone form factor does Xiaomi have in store, as its concepts usually quickly mature to prototypes and retail devices.
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