A leaked patent suggests that Xiaomi is developing its first tri-fold smartphone, potentially a new Mix-branded device.
Huawei recently launched the Magic V3 under its Honor brand. This device became the slimmest production foldable smartphone available. Shortly after, Huawei introduced the Mate XT Ultimate, the world’s first production-ready tri-fold smartphone. In July, Xiaomi released the Mix Fold 4. Now, reports indicate that Xiaomi is also working on a tri-fold smartphone.
According to 91 Mobiles, Xiaomi filed a patent for its first tri-fold device with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). The source reviewed the application, which included design schematics. This patent was filed on September 3, making it very recent.
The source provided renders based on the patent. The device appears bulkier compared to Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate. It features two hinges. One hinge allows the outer part to flip outward, transforming into a bar-shaped phone when closed. When fully opened, it resembles a tablet with a rectangular main display. The camera module includes three cameras and a flash arranged horizontally.
Despite having two hinges and three body panels, the phone looks narrower and taller than Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate. It resembles Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6, which has a narrow cover screen compared to other foldable.
It remains unclear if Xiaomi’s tri-fold smartphone will be production-ready like Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate.
Earlier, a report from the Chinese social media platform Weibo mentioned Xiaomi’s first tri-fold foldable. The tipster provided no hardware details but stated the device was in development. The report also noted that the tri-fold smartphone would be thicker than usual and might debut at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025.
