The Motorola Razr (2019) steered the foldable phone market in a different direction with its classic clamshell design. Instead of a tablet device that can fold to the size of a regular smartphone, clamshell phones offer extra portability folding to a much smaller form factor. Samsung launched its own version of the clamshell design – the Galaxy Z Flip, and now it seems that Xiaomi plans to do the same.LetsGoDigital uncovered a new patent filed by the Chinese company in November 2019 in Beijing. The 48 included images show a foldable phone with a clamshell design. The really interesting part is the camera module. It has four camera cutouts on the front side and one on the back and can rotate swapping the arrangement. It’s an exciting idea, not entirely new, though. The Samsung Galaxy A80 employs a similar take on the camera system, although it rotates on its horizontal axis.
Image courtesy of LetsGoDigital
The patent images show a flexible screen with no notches or cutouts. The phone folds inwards, protecting the display, much like the already mentioned Motorola Razr. There are no signs of a secondary display, though, and the chin (rotating camera module) is at the top, making the phone look like an upside-down Razr. LetsGoDigital sources claim that this Xiaomi model is scheduled for release in the second half of 2020. If this patent turns into a real device, the foldable segment will start to get crowded with Huawei and Samsung tipped to release cheaper foldable models around the same time.
