Xiaomi CEO Lin Bin shows in a video published on Weibo that the Chinese manufacturer has the first prototype of a foldable smartphone. Unlike Royoles Flexpai, Xiaomi’s device has two joints. The construction looks quite suitable for everyday use.
The device can be folded not only at one point of the display but at two. The two outer quarters can be folded back. Then the tablet turns into a handy looking smartphone. When Lin flips the screen backward during operation, the user interface adapts to the new shape.
In the video, the collapsed device seems to be much thinner than the Flexpai, another foldable smartphone that has been developed by Royole, an American-based Chinese company that manufactures flexible electronics.
In Xiaomi’s prototype, the two joints seem to have a rather small radius, resulting in a flat smartphone in the folded state.
The disadvantage of two joints is already easy to recognize in the video: As with the Flexpai, the joints do not manage to get the screen completely straight in the unfolded state. The company hasn’t announced the release day yet.
