Xiaomi is a company that tries to “play” on several market segments at the same time. Its smartphones can range from the cheapest models on the market, to some of the best equipped, and experimental variants such as those in the Mi MIX series always offer something out of the ordinary. Last year’s Mi MIX Alpha proposed a phone “dressed” in a display on all sides. The market may not be prepared for such a model, but the latest concept patented by the company suggests that the idea of integrating several screens is still in the minds of its designers. This could be Xiaomi’s first phone with an optical zoom lens.
Xiaomi is preparing a one-camera optical zoom phone
The company recently patented a smartphone concept equipped with two screens. On the front is integrated a large one, which covers the entire space. It is not cut at all and is curved at the edges. On the back, however, half of the phone is covered with a secondary display. However, the other half is occupied by an extremely unusual room module. It has a single sensor and a large mechanism that allows the lens to physically expand.
This Xiaomi concept thus suggests that the phone could benefit from a real optical zoom lens directly on the main sensor. Thus, the focal length of the lens is variable, just like on a camera lens. The screen on the back of the phone would aim to become a kind of mirror for taking selfies, as there is only one camera on the whole phone. The uncut screen and lack of a retractable camera suggest that there is no dedicated front camera.
We still don’t know what hardware configuration the company would use on this model
At the hardware level, this phone could use the 108-megapixel Samsung sensor that Xiaomi has used on other models such as the Mi 10 Pro or the Mi MIX Alpha prototype. While the phone, if indeed launched, will be the top premium model, it could keep away those who are worried about the resistance of moving components on smartphones. We can also assume that the phone will not have any resistance to water and dust due to moving components.
It is unclear whether Xiaomi is preparing to unveil this model, or whether it will use the concept of this patent to present another concept phone that it will keep only in its own labs, without launching it on the market.