There has been a lot of innovation in the smartphone industry of late. First came foldable phones, then came swiveling ones, and now it seems that Xiaomi wants to take things even further. According to a patent spotted by Lets Go Digital, the Chinese electronics maker has filed a patent for a foldable smartphone that also slides vertically. According to the document, the patent was registered on April 8 and approved today.
As seen in the image of the patent below, Xiaomi plans for the tentative folding device to have a slim internal screen which will open up into a large square, much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 devices. To spice things up, there is an external display on top of the inner screen. This outer display slides down to reveal what appears to be a speaker and dual cameras on the top right corner.
The main camera unit is housed on the back of the left half of the phone which doesn't have the sliding display. There appear to be a bunch of lenses, four in total, and two mysterious vertical slots. The volume and power buttons are on the right side of the phone when folded and on the left once the device is opened up to a square orientation.
Apart from the resemblance to the Galaxy Z Fold2, Xiaomi's patented concept folding phone also bears similarities to the LG Wing which sports a swiveling screen on the front. The only difference is that instead of a swiveling screen, the Beijing-based smartphone maker has opted for a sliding display.
Since this is a freshly approved patent, it is likely that Xiaomi will take some time to actually share details about its plans for the concept phone. If and when it does become a reality, the company will probably share further information about the smartphone with the public. For now, all we can do is place our bets and hold our horses.
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