Xiaomi aims to mass-produce its mysterious, unnamed clamshell-style foldable phones in the second half of 2020. (Image credit: Windows United)
Xiaomi may have a flip-style foldable phone in the works, similar to the Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr. XDA Developers reports that Xiaomi is keen to use Samsung’s ‘Ultra-Thin Glass’ technology for its foldable phone. Separately, ZDNet Korea claims that the Chinese smartphone maker wants to use Samsung-made flexible OLED displays for an upcoming clamshell smartphone.
It’s being said that panel will be almost identical to the screen on the Galaxy Z Flip. Plus, Xiaomi is also working on a similar hinge design as seen on the Galaxy Z Flip. Rumour has it that Xiaomi aims to mass-produce its mysterious, unnamed clamshell-style foldable phones in the second half of 2020.
Xiaomi has been in working on a foldable smartphone for quite some time. Earlier last year, Xiaomi’s co-founder Bin Lin showed off a working prototype of the phone on video. That phone was notably different than Samsung and Huawei foldable phones. Unlike the Galaxy Fold that opens like a book, the Mi foldable phone doesn’t fold in half but instead, the device folds both sides.
This foldable phone, however, is different from what is being reported by XDA Developers and ZDNet. Towards the end of 2019, Xiaomi filed a patent for a clamshell folding smartphone. A render published by Windows United gives us an idea as to what this phone might look like.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review
Similar to the Galaxy Z Flip, the Xiaomi-made phone is seen as a large screen and a smaller screen outside when folded. Even the hinge design looks identical to Samsung’s phone.
It isn’t surprising to see Xiaomi working on a flip-style foldable phone. Every smartphone maker has been developing a foldable phone. The big part of the discussion is how well the Xiaomi flip-style foldable phone be compared to the Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr. It will be interesting to see if Xiaomi manages to undercut the competition and still offer a more durable foldable phone at a reasonable price.