Xiaomi Mobile Software has patented a new rotating camera design for the smartphone that has already been approved and published by the Chinese regulator. In the folded state, the camera unit is hidden in the body of the smartphone and does not protrude beyond the plane of the back panel.

However, when the camera is activated, the unit rotates 90 degrees and judging by the thumbnail, the protruding part of the camera unit exceeds the thickness of the smartphone body. In such a block, you can place good optics to get high-quality photos.

However, the main advantage of such a solution is that it often allows the use of a thin smartphone that will not cling to pockets or dangle on the table. For example, the latest iPhone models and other camera phones are criticized in this regard. As is often the case, the fact of patent registration is not proof that we will see this solution in a commercial smartphone.