The Chinese manufacturer may be jumping on the clamshell bandwagon if this newly approved patent from 2018 is anything to go by.
The clamshell seems to be making a comeback, in the wake of Motorola’s all-display Razr that’s set to retail for $1,500 (around $2,180), rumours of a similar phone from Samsung, and Lenovo.
Xiaomi’s patent shows an almost bezel-less display, and – interestingly – a pop-up camera. There’s a dual rear camera that’s set in a small display, most likely to give the user a little heads up on calls and messages at a glance, without having to open the phone.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that it’s definitely being worked on, or that it’ll ever get to market, but as the new form factor appears to be getting more traction, it’s no entirely out of left field for Xiaomi to be cooking up something that looks like this. [Pocket-lint]
This post originally appeared on Gizmodo UK, which is gobbling up the news in a different timezone.