Xiaomi patent points to modern take on Mi Mix 3’s sliding screen design
- A Xiaomi patent suggests the company is investigating a scrollable, wraparound display smartphone.
- The sliding screen, held in place by magnets, also hides a pair of selfie cameras.
- The filing also describes how such a system would work on the device.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 gives a modern smartphone sliding phone flair and functionality. It allowed the handset to show off an all-screen facia while still including a dual selfie array. Xiaomi’s latest patent gives a new twist to this concept for sliding smartphones.
The patent discovered by LetsGoDigitalis similar to that described in an earlier submission dated September 2020. However, the new listing provides information about how the system works.
The device is full screen at the front, and this display is also located on the back of the phone, stopping just in front of the rear camera array. Interestingly, the screen mounted on the sled can scroll down to reveal the selfie cameras. The Dutch publication assumes that this device could look like this.
This selfie array shows two cameras and two additional sensors. When operating, Xiaomi let users tap the display or use a voice command to slide the screen down and show the front cameras. The screen takes up around two thirds of the back of the phone. When using the selfie cameras, the screen is held in place by electromagnets.
If this design is not to your taste, there is also a second device described in the patent. As the screen also pans, it moves horizontally rather than vertically.
Could this be the Mi Mix 4?
It is unclear whether this design will be seriously considered for a Mi-Mix follow-up. The patent was released in October 2020, suggesting the company had time to think about this system and perfect it.
A number of companies are also investigating similar designs. LG is working on a rollable phone, but it’s unclear if it will see the light of day. Samsung has considered a smaller device with a flexible screen that slides around the bottom edge. Even Huawei has dipped its toes in the patent pool.
We received confirmation last year from Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi that the company is working on a new Mi Mix – a device that is generally ambitious in terms of engineering and design. But will Xiaomi dare to implement this design on a market-ready product? We have to wait and see.
