Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Honor appear ready to follow rival Huawei Technologies’ lead by launching their own tri-fold models, as public records show that the two firms have each previously applied for a design patent on a double-hinged handset.
According to a filing released by China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Beijing-based Xiaomi had already applied for a design patent on a double-hinged smartphone with three rear cameras in 2022. The agency’s record shows that this patent application was made public on September 3.
Honor, the Huawei spin-off, had also applied for a design patent on a tri-fold smartphone in 2021, according to CNIPA records. That patent filing, made public in April, showed a Z-shape, double-hinged foldable handset and a round camera.
Those patent applications reflect how China’s major Android handset players are betting on new foldable models to compete with Apple’s iPhone in the high-end segment of the world’s biggest smartphone market.
Foldable handsets with artificial intelligence features are projected to boost smartphone sales on the mainland, with total 2024 shipments rising 3.1 per cent year on year to 279 million units, according to tech research firm IDC.
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