New Xiaomi foldable smartphone tipped, could be a flip-style phone like Galaxy Z Flip 3

Xiaomi is one of the few smartphone makers which already have a foldable smartphone in their portfolio. The company now might be planning to expand its offerings in the segment, as a design of a new foldable smartphone from the house of Xiaomi has now surfaced on the Internet. This one, however, will be much different from the Mi Mix Fold.

How? Mi Mix Fold folds and unfolds along the phone's horizontal axis, much like what we see on most other foldable phones, examples being the Galaxy Fold 3 and Oppo's recent Find N. The new images depicting the next Xiaomi foldable, however, show a phone that flips open upwards, like the Galaxy Z Flip 3. This means that the next foldable phone from Xiaomi may carry a clamshell design.

The images have been found on the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and first reported by My Smart Price. Filed under the application number 2020301357510, the images reveal some key features of the phone. Though much of the details still remain obscure, including the name of the phone.

As for what can be deduced from the schematics, the flip-style foldable from Xiaomi will come with a dual-camera setup at the back, placed right next to a rectangular cutout on the design, which might be filled with a small display in the production unit. The screen will likely serve to display notifications, or possibly to click selfies when the phone is folded. Though there is a pill-shaped cutout on the inside of the smartphone as well, so the latter reason might not necessarily turn out to be true.

Upon unfolding, we can see a tall, continuous display on the phone. At the back, slight camera protrusion can be seen, while the right edge holds the power button and the volume rockers. The chin of the smartphone houses a USB Type-C port, a SIM tray as well as a speaker grille.

Of course, this is all just what can be presumed from the diagram itself, and we will have to wait for long before the design actually translates to a real-world smartphone. Though it is an important indication of how Xiaomi might be imagining the next foldable smartphones in its portfolio.

The company is yet to sell its Mi Mix Fold outside China and it is not sure if it will do so anytime soon or not. That being said, Xiaomi's next foldable device, if it comes in this clamshell as we see, might be priced lower than the Mi Mix Fold and will possibly be a great way for Xiaomi to test the foldable smartphones market in other countries.