Xiaomi patents vertically folding smartphone

Beijing, Nov 15 (IANS) Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has patented a foldable phone concept that folds vertically just like recently launched Motorola Razr foldable smartphone.The patent was filed back in August 2018 before it was granted and published last month.Sketches of the device show the phone has a small display at the top when folded and the display would likely show info such as time, caller ID, and notifications, news portal GizmoChina reported on Thursday. In the unfolded state, the device takes the form factor of a regular-sized smartphone with minimum bezels. The back of the device features a dual-camera setup.Last week, the company patented a foldable smartphone with five pop-up camera setup.According to the patent, this foldable phone has an outward-folding screen and depending on how a user holds it, the five cameras can either be rear cameras or front-facing cameras. The sketches of the device suggest that it will have a really thin bezels and no display notch. The patent seems to have been submitted on August 20 and was approved and published last week. Xiaomi is expected to release a foldable phone by the end of 2019.
--IANS wh/adr