In all respects, Xiaomi is working on a new sophisticated smartphone similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. This is a clam shell with a flexible screen.

Xiaomi has recently registered a new patent with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (CNIPA). The images in the patent show an intricate smartphone in both the folded and unfolded condition. Firstly, it is clear that the device can be compact. Second, you can see the horizontally placed camera module, which is very similar in design to the Google Pixel 6.

This module has three holes for the image sensors, but one of them can also be used for the LED flash. The thumbnails also show that the bottom of the smartphone has speakers, a SIM card slot and a USB Type-C charging port. It seems that the screen itself does not have a cutout, so it is unclear what mechanism the smartphone will use for the selfie camera. It could be a sub-display module.

It is unclear when and if such a device will be released.