Xiaomi released the concept phone with a 360-degree surround screen in September 2019: Although this phone is in the end, it also proves Xiaomi's R&D strength. Recently, foreign media discovered that Xiaomi seems to be developing the next-generation model of MIX Alpha. In addition to the same configuration of the surround screen, it also adds new design elements.
Dutch media "LetsGoDigital", which focuses on patent reporting, disclosed today that Xiaomi applied for a design patent to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in June this year, and announced it on December 18. "LetsGoDigital" also redraws the pictures in the patent into solid color renderings. This design patent of Xiaomi mainly describes a mobile phone with a 360-degree surround screen, just like Xiaomi MIX Alpha; however, the difference between this design patent and the previous Xiaomi MIX Alpha is that it uses a pop-up three-lens design. Unlike Xiaomi MIX Alpha, the camera lens is set on the back of the phone. Because of the lack of obstruction by the lens, its front, back and sides cover 100% of the screen, without any white space or seams. And because both the front and the back are front screens, the phone is not equipped with a front camera, so you only need to use the back screen to view the camera when you want to take a selfie.
▲ This Xiaomi mobile phone patent uses a pop-up lens design.
▲ In the previous MIX Alpha, because the camera lens was placed on the back, there would be some cases without screen coverage. In addition, in the patented design sketch, you can also find that this phone has a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack design, which is not available in the previous MIX Alpha.
From the perspective of Xiaomi’s patent, perhaps Xiaomi also solved the previous MIX Alpha’s difficulty in mass production this year. It is preparing to develop the second generation, or it may just apply for a patent for defense purposes. With such a model, there will be another interesting mobile phone in the mobile phone industry.
