After full-screen displays and notches, foldable smartphones seem to be the next big thing in the market. While Samsung is rumoured to be planning the launch of a foldable device in the next few months, Xiaomi has shared glimpses of its forthcoming launch of a foldable device. And this has been done through a video featuring the company’s President Lin Bin.
In the video, Lin explains the unique features of the phone, though many of the things you would want to know, like the overall size, processor, etc. are yet to be disclosed. Even the name of the model is yet to be finalised by Xiaomi.
The basic design remains a large screen tablet-like display that can be folded into a smartphone. But Xiaomi has adopted a unique two-fold design where the two sides of the device can be folded inward to make it a bar shaped smartphone. Lin Bin claims theirs is the only model to follow this design. The video gives the impression that the phone will have very little bezel thickness and that Xiaomi’s design team has managed to limit the thickness of the foldable phone even after it is folded. This is important since the idea of a foldable device is to make it convenient to keep it in your pockets or in a wallet.
Check out this special video from #Xiaomi President and Co-founder Bin Lin, showing off a very special phone prototype...
— Donovan Sung (@donovansung) January 23, 2019
What does everyone think we should name this phone? #InnovationForEveryone pic.twitter.com/1lFj3nM7tD
According to Lin Bin, the company has deployed what it calls four-wheel drive foldable shaft technology and a foldable display. This is also important since the display has to remain the same when in the open condition as well as on the secondary screen when folded. It is reported that the company has tweaked its own MIUI to make this seamless transition possible.
Obviously, the device is shown in the video in a functional state but it is still in the ‘testing stage’ and a commercial launch could be a few months away. On the nomenclature, Lin Bin says they have thought of two alternative names, ‘Xiaomi Dual Flex' and ‘Xiaomi Mix Flex', but they are also open to suggestions from the public at large.
One interesting factor to come out of this video episode is that the device does match with an image leaked online several weeks ago.