Xiaomi could be working on a foldable clamshell phone like the Motorola Razr

Xiaomi could be working on a foldable clamshell phone like the Motorola Razr

According to a set of newly released patent images, it seems like Xiaomi is probably working on a foldable phone with a clamshell design that we recently saw on the newly announced Motorola Razr. Coming from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the images were initially submitted back in August 2018 but they became available recently.

Xiaomi logos are seen during a news conference. Image: Reuters

The images were spotted by Tiger Mobiles first. Gizmochina reported that Xiaomi has been finally granted the patent for the foldable phone design. Looking at the design, it has a long aspect ratio and when folded, it’s almost a square.

Unlike the Razr that has a big display in the folded state, the patent shows a small rectangular display. On the rear, there’s a dual-camera setup and there’s a front-facing camera on a thin bezel on the top.

Xiaomi foldable phone patent with a clamshell design. Image: Tiger Mobiles

Xiaomi foldable phone patent with a clamshell design. Image: Tiger Mobiles

While the patent is now in Xiaomi’s bag, we can’t say for sure whether it’s going to turn into a final product. This isn’t the only foldable phone that the company is working on. A promo video was revealed earlier this year of a Xiaomi foldable phone that folded at three sections. There isn’t any information whether that was only a concept device or if the company is actually going to commercialise it.

Xiaomi foldable phone patent showing penta pop-up camera. Image: Tiger Mobiles

Tiger Mobiles also released more images of a patent showing another foldable phone with the display on the outside like the Huawei Mate X. However, unlike the Mate X, this design from Xiaomi has a bizarre penta pop-up camera design.