Several leaked images have revealed the design of Xiaomi's tri-fold phone to compete with the Huawei Mate XT.
According to a leak from reliable tech leaker @Digital Chat Station (DCS), Xiaomi has patented a tri-fold phone design,
aiming to compete with the Mate XT - the world's first tri-fold smartphone from Huawei.
Xiaomi reveals design images of 3-fold smartphone - 1
In a Weibo post, DCS shared an image based on this patent, showing the device's similarities and differences with the Huawei Mate XT.
Xiaomi reveals design images of 3-fold smartphone - 2
From the leaked images, it can be seen that both phones fold in the same way, with a dual hinge to convert the first part of the device into a display before closing.
However, Xiaomi's design is somewhat different from the Mate XT, with a camera cluster similar to the first Mix Fold line.
Xiaomi reveals design images of 3-fold smartphone - 3
On closer inspection, the back of the device has a leather-like texture, similar to the OnePlus Open Voyager Black edition.
The Mate XT also gets a faux leather finish, but its camera bump is larger and more similar to the traditional Huawei Mate 60 RS series.
Watch More Image Part 2 >>>
Xiaomi reveals design images of 3-4 folding smartphone
Despite having researched a tri-fold phone design, Xiaomi is expected to prioritize developing the Mix Fold and
Mix Flip lines in the near future, instead of investing in a product that could cost up to $2,800 in the near future
The phone was launched in China, but judging by Huawei's teasers through global channels, it could be on its way to more markets.
The phone is 12.8mm thick when folded - quite an achievement considering it's slightly thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold6 - a regular foldable phone.
With that in mind, creating a 10mm-thick tri-fold smartphone seems like an impossible task, since 12.8mm is already a huge feat of engineering.
Maybe a 10mm-thin tri-fold smartphone will happen someday, but we can’t imagine it being “coming soon.”
However, Honor is proving to be a leader in conventional foldable smartphone design.
The recently announced Magic V3 is the world's thinnest and lightest book-style foldable smartphone.
