Back in 2019, Xiaomi filed a patent with the CNIPA for a phone that folds outward, similar to Huawei’s Mate X series devices. More than three years later, developer Kuba Wojciechowski (@Za_Raczke) shared some real-life images of the device, which reached the prototype stage but was sadly never commercially released.Never hit the market
It is clearly seen that the basic design used by the company in the patent application is also used in the prototype device. The device houses a total of four camera sensors, an LED flash and a button to unlock the screen on the back. There is also a dual 3500mAh battery setup on the device.
There is also confirmation that this phone is equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 and an X50 modem for 5G support. Wojciechowski cites that the device is “super secret and very few units reach the public.” On the other hand, it is stated that the biggest problem in the design is durability.On the foldable phones side, Xiaomi has adopted the foldable phone approach inwards, not outwards, with the Mix Fold models. Finally, it is unclear for now whether Xiaomi will release an outwardly foldable phone in the future.
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