Xiaomi lays down a design for a phone that appears to be identical to Samsung’s first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, on the front and back.
Samsung is currently lord and master of foldable phones. The Korean manufacturer is the only one to release two types of folding phones, the Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Xiaomi, on the other hand, already showed a prototype of one at the beginning of last year double foldable smartphone, however, this device was never officially introduced. Nevertheless, Xiaomi has filed quite a few design patents over time for the most diverse designs.
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For example, LetsGoDigital reported about one halfway through this year Xiaomi foldable phone which showed a remarkable number of similarities with the Huawei Mate Xs. This time Xiaomi is looking to Samsung’s corner and the Chinese manufacturer patents a phone very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold.
Xiaomi smartphone with cover display identical to Galaxy Fold
The patent application was filed early this year by Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co. Ltd. at the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration). The application was approved and published on October 20, 2020.
It is an inwardly foldable phone with a cover screen. The front of the device appears to be identical to that of the Galaxy Fold, Samsung’s first folding phone. The screen covers about 4.6 inches, with large screen edges visible especially at the top and bottom. A triple camera is implemented on the back, which is also very similar to the Fold. Even the positioning of the vertical camera system is the same.
Only when you unfold the phone some differences become visible. Samsung provided the Galaxy Fold with a 7.3-inch flexible screen, with a wide notch in the top right corner for the cameras and sensors. Xiaomi seems to choose a different solution here.
The Xiaomi foldable smartphone has a continuously flexible screen, without notches. Xiaomi has made a vertical stripe on the right side, most likely intended for the camera system. Judging by the three circles, it seems to be a dual camera with flash.
Another notable difference from the Galaxy Fold, Xiaomi chooses to place the flexible screen a little deeper in the housing, so that it appears to be better protected by the frame of the device. If you unfold this phone, put it upside down on the table, it will rest on the frame, instead of on the flexible screen itself.
Xiaomi a foldable smartphone expected, but when?
Since Samsung is the market leader in the new market segment of foldable phones, it is not surprising to see that other manufacturers want to copy this success. For example, LetsGoDigital also reported on one last month Huawei Mate smartphone which was very similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Although Xiaomi has now recorded a large number of foldable design variants, there is still none Xiaomi foldable phone announced. However, earlier this year there were rumors that Xiaomi will introduce its first folding phone at the end of 2020. Halfway through the year, the company had already purchased Ultra Thin Flexible Glass for the production of foldable telephones.
However, the days creep by and it is already the end of October. The question therefore remains whether we can expect a foldable Xiaomi phone this year. In the meantime it seems almost certain that the introduction of the Huawei Mate X2 has been suspended, whether this also made Xiaomi decide to wait a little longer, that remains unclear.
Normally, smartphone manufacturers show their latest innovations during the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) fair in Barcelona. However, the stock market will again be canceled in February next year. Due to the continuing threat from COVID-19, it has been decided to postpone the fair until June 2021.
The question therefore remains as to how manufacturers will deal with this and when the phone launches for the first half of the year will take place, Samsung seems Galaxy S21 series as early as January. The Galaxy Z Flip 2 is also expected in January / February. Will Xiaomi also surprise us at the beginning of 2021? Time will tell.
View the documentation of the Xiaomi foldable smartphone.
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