It is a strange smartphone that has been spotted in the Shenzhen (China) metro. This terminal, which we can admire in a stolen photo, is signed Xiaomi and has the particularity of being foldable. Do we have there a prototype of a future product of the brand?
Credits: MyDrivers
Shenzhen is a city that hosts many factories and R&D centers. Many smartphone manufacturers have settled there. It can thus happen to cross people who use a product not yet announced, because in development. It is for example a strange Xiaomi smartphone that was spotted in the hands of a man.
The Chinese site MyDrivers relays the photographs of one of their reader. While in the metro, the latter noticed that his neighbor was using a very curious smartphone. As can be seen in the photo, it is a shelf that folds in half vertically, similar to Samsung’s Z Fold 2.
Also read – Galaxy Z Fold 2 test: this time it’s the right one!
We see the tablet running Android with Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 overlay. This product is furiously reminiscent of a patent filed by the brand some time ago, which took over the concept of the Z Fold on its own. The main difference with the Samsung terminal here is its size, since the man from the metro has in his hands a product almost as large as a tablet.
A smartphone that looks like a prototype
Xiaomi has already presented prototypes of foldable smartphones, but so far none have been released. This terminal spotted in the metro seems to be still at the prototype stage. We first notice a fairly visible fold in the center, which we do not imagine so ostentatious on a consumer product. Likewise, the edges of the screen appear rough. Again, it is difficult to imagine a product marketed in this state.
Xiaomi should present three models of foldable smartphones in 2021. All three would use screens designed by Samsung and should achieve a refresh rate of 120 Hz. We will just have to watch if one of these future products is indeed the tablet of the metro.
