The iconic Motorola Razr was resurrected yesterday with with a clamshell design and foldable screen. As exciting as it might sound, the Lenovo-owned firm might not be the only manufacturer to offer a clamshell smartphone for long, as Samsung teased their iteration of a vertically folding design last month. Now, it looks like Xiaomi is also looking to cash in on this trend. A few images from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) that surfaced recently revealed that Xiaomi has patented a design for a clamshell smartphone with foldable screen. Sketches of the device divulge quite a few interesting design elements.
Xiaomi clamshell foldable phone design
Xiaomi’s clamshell foldalbe phone design patent
Xiaomi filed for a patent back in August 2018, which was recently granted. Xiaomi’s version of a clamshell smartphone is slightly different from what Motorola has done with the new Motorola Razr. According to the sketches, Xiaomi’s smartphone features a primary foldable display along with a smaller secondary display on the cover. The secondary screen probably holds information like notifications, caller ID and time.
In the closed state, the smartphone is a perfect square. It flings opens revealing a display with a tall aspect ratio. The smartphone exhibits a dual-camera setup in the closed state. A selfie camera is hidden in the upper bezel of the interior along with an earpiece and sensors. Its side bezels are almost non-existent.
While filing a patent does not guarantee an actual device, it provides insight into the direction the company plans to take for the future. With the Huawei Mate X and Samsung Galaxy Fold fighting it out, and the Motorola razr being revived, it is safe to assume that we will be seeing several new foldable smartphones in 2020.