How to Xiaomi surprise people? That's right – you need to release the most weird phone, or at least a patent. The company has patented a very strange phone, the top of which folds out towards the outside, allowing you to use the front camera as the main one. Most likely, there will be some kind of hinge at the place of the fold, which can be an eyesore, let's see how the company solves this problem. The idea is not new, earlier Asus in its smartphone Zenfone 6 already offered its consumers something similar, but in the case of the phone Xiaomi it is about something much more revolutionary.
The company has patented the phone, the top of which can be turned out, which will make it possible to use the front camera as the main one.
The device looks like this:
Smartphone patent Xiaomi
Smartphone patent Xiaomi with rear view. You can see how the phone case turns inside out.
Disadvantages of a foldable smartphone Xiaomi
You can immediately identify its shortcomings. You just need to understand how manufacturers usually place the insides of their devices. As a rule, the main board with the camera is located on the top. Since the motherboards of smartphones have not learned to bend yet, most likely there will be a board with cameras at the very top, and a board with a processor and other chips will be located just below. The camera board will connect to the main board through a cable.
The downside is that the place of the fold will turn out to be unused, and the capacity of the battery in this case may suffer by 20-25%. That is, if Xiaomi normally equips phones with a 4500mAh battery, that device could get a 3500mAh battery.
Another important point is the hinge, which will always be at eye level and frankly interfere when using the phone. You can also notice on the smartphone from the patent 3 cutouts. Two for cameras and one for flash. The main cameras are usually larger than the front ones, so you can imagine how large the cutouts will be. And in this case, the status bar at the top will take up too much space.
Besides Xiaomi, as a rule, they use the same body design in phones, so this option will make the phone extremely expensive. I would not be surprised if it will cost consumers $ 1500-2000, simply because Xiaomi does not yet know how to effectively produce phones with a unique design. Samsung, which is the leader in this matter, cannot offer a cheap Z Flip, what can we say about Xiaomi.
It would be much better if Xiaomi did not reinvent the wheel, as they did with Mi Alpha and are now doing with another future phone, but created a product based on already tested options. For example, the form factor Huawei of the Mate Xs is very good, so why not release a similar device, but with a more attractive price tag and, for example, interesting software? Xiaomi can show a flexible phone on a clean Android, and it will be interesting to everyone, because no one has done this before. But no, they went along some strange path in order to please their own ideas that they are not worse than other manufacturers, but I think it is worth thinking realistically and understanding that Xiaomi is loved not for experiments, but for a low price.
Oppo now offers extremely expensive phones in the flagship segment, which few people in Russia are interested in, I'm afraid Xiaomi is stepping on the same rake, not quite realizing that people will not buy expensive phones under the brand 'Xiaomi '. For example, the recently presented Mi 10 is priced at $ 900 in maximum modification.
It is interesting to know your opinion. Do you think it's worth Xiaomi experimenting? Or maybe it's better to stop at what you're already good at – budget devices? Share your opinion in the comments and do not forget to subscribe to us in Yandex.Zen.