A Xiaomi patent has caught our eyes again,
with this one showcasing an unique smartphone design. The patent images depict
a foldable smartphone with a quad camera system that rotates forward for
selfies and to the back for regular photography.
Xiaomi had filed the design patent for an
inward bending phone in its home country of China. In the patent, the Chinese
tech giant also put 48 images the showcase the handset. Similar to the Motorola
Razr 2019, the device folds inwards like the flip phones, which were popular a
decade ago. However, the inside mostly comprises of a display with narrow
bezels on every side except the top.
On top of the display, one can observe a
noticeably large camera module. A quad camera setup is housed horizontally in
this region, right above the receiver for calls. This quad camera module is
also capable of rotating or twisting to face the other side. Notably, the image
sensors are slightly raised over the body and the device folds from the middle
of the display and not the overall length, allowing the camera system to go
over the folded display rather than making space for it.
Hence, the camera system might still be
usable despite the device being folded. Unfortunately, the patent description
doesn’t reveal whether a secondary screen will also be implemented on the rear
or any finer details. The hinge mechanism isn’t revealed particularly either
but resembles the hideaway hinge found in the Galaxy Z Flip. At the moment,
there is no confirmation is Xiaomi is actually working on the product or just
covering all bases.
