We’ve seen the Mi MIX Alpha concept phone that had a similar design, but Xiaomi is taking it further this time. The new patent reveals a concept phone that has a 360º screen with no notch nor cutouts — this is made possible with a pop up mechanism.
Xiaomi patents a new concept phone that resembles the Mi MIX Alpha
Based on renders shown by LetsGoDigital, the renders show a phone with 360º display without any vertical frames as seen on the Mi MIX Alpha. It also comes with a pop-up mechanism that houses three cameras so the screen can remain undisturbed and literally all-screen. Despite being a futuristic phone, it’ll still sport a headphone jack on the bottom alongside its charging port and loudspeaker. On the top, this phone has a power button and a microphone hole.
Pop-up cameras may not be the best idea
Although this seems like an innovative phone, there are no guarantees that it will be developed and released to the public. After all, many brands have given up on pop-up cameras as they tend to collect dust and take up more space than say, a punch hole cutout. On the other hand, Xiaomi has previously tested with under-display cameras; if that works out, Xiaomi can integrate under-display technology with its 360º screen to create a really interesting device.
Is a 360º display really innovative?
On a side note, a 360º display phone will also have its cons; fingerprint marks will be an issue, and we’ll definitely need to be able to switch off one side of the screen while we’re using the other to prevent accidental touches. More importantly, a surround display doesn’t seem as practical as a foldable display.