Xiaomi Foldable Phone Teaser Reminds Us It Still Exists

In two months' time or so, a few people will have their taste of the world's first foldable phones. But while Samsung and Huawei have blazed a trail, they aren't the only ones. Some have expressed interest while others only have patents to show. Xiaomi actually has a working "double folding" phone but, ironically, it says it's not in a rush. Still, there's no harm in teasing its fans by showing off that foldable phone they still can't have.

At the height of the hype surrounding the foldable phones that would eventually be announced in February, Xiaomi president Lin Bin posted a video of such a device that seemed quite close to being ready for production. Unlike most expectations of foldable phones, however, Xiaomi's folded on both sides, creating a rather odd design of a screen that wrapped all the way around

Of course, that foldable phone skipped MWC 2019 and probably won't be coming any time soon. It still exists, as if taunting the mobile world. A second video has just popped up that demonstrates how Xiaomi opted to solve the design problem of folding a regular rectangular tablet into a phone that isn't too wide or too tall.

You probably won't want to put it on top of a hot cup of instant noodles though. Just like Samsung and Huawei, Xiaomi's foldable screen will probably be using plastic that's more vulnerable to heat and scratches. Then again, perhaps Xiaomi was able to come across a solution its rivals failed to find.

That is, after all, why Xiaomi is biding its time. It's waiting for both technology and market to stabilize around such foldable phones. Considering how expensive and raw the first generation will be, it's definitely a smart approach to take.