Xiaomi is apparently working on a smart smartphone similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. The patent was published on the website of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). The patent application contains sketches of the device in both open and closed form. Judging by these images, the smartphone will be very compact when folded.

The thumbnails also show a horizontal camera module (similar to the Google Pixel 6 camera) with three sensor holes. However, one of them may have been designed for LED flash. The bottom end has speaker holes, SIM card slot and USB Type-C connector, and on the right you can see the power button and volume control.

It is not clear from the drawings how the front camera of the new Xiaomi clamshell model will look like. The company may decide to use Under-Panel Camera (CUP) technology, as in the Xiaomi MIX Fold.