Xiaomi's Tri-Foldable Phone Patent Surfaces: A Potential Challenge to Huawei and a New Growth Driver

Xiaomi's Tri-Foldable Phone Patent Surfaces: A Potential Challenge to Huawei and a New Growth DriverBased on the submitted drawings, Xiaomi's tri-foldable phone adopts a design similar to Huawei's, combining inward and outward folding mechanisms. The back of the device features three horizontally placed cameras and an LED flash

Xiaomi's Tri-Foldable Phone Patent Surfaces: A Potential Challenge to Huawei and a New Growth Driver

Recently, news has emerged that Xiaomi has secured a design patent for a "mobile phone and its main body", revealing the design of its upcoming tri-foldable phone. According to the filing information, the patent application for the tri-foldable screen design was submitted on December 21, 2022, and has only recently been made public.

Based on the submitted drawings, Xiaomi's tri-foldable phone adopts a design similar to Huawei's, combining inward and outward folding mechanisms. The back of the device features three horizontally placed cameras and an LED flash. The top of the phone houses a microphone and an external speaker opening, while the bottom is equipped with a SIM card slot, a microphone opening, an external speaker outlet, and a charging port.

Although Xiaomi's tri-foldable phone is currently in the patent phase, with specific release and market launch dates yet to be announced by the company, based on past Xiaomi device trends, this new model is expected to offer compelling value for money, lowering the entry barrier.

Beyond the surfacing of the tri-foldable phone patent, a recent report by market research firm Counterpoint Research indicates that Xiaomi surpassed Apple in August's smartphone sales, becoming the world's second-largest smartphone brand after Samsung.

The report highlights Xiaomi's ranking as the world's second-largest smartphone vendor in terms of shipments in August 2024, a feat not achieved since August 2021. While Xiaomi's monthly shipments remained flat compared to the previous month, its performance outshines Apple's seasonal decline in the same period.

Xiaomi consistently ranks among the fastest-growing smartphone brands in 2024, attributing its success to adjustments in product and market strategies. Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, states that Xiaomi has adopted a more streamlined product strategy this year, focusing on developing one star model for each price segment rather than introducing multiple devices within a single market. Concurrently, Xiaomi has re-aligned its sales and marketing emphasis, continuing to expand into emerging markets and solidify its position in established ones.

Xiaomi's entry-level to mid-range devices maintain their strong performance, while its foray into the high-end market via foldable and "ultra-premium" devices has proven successful. This year, Xiaomi has been particularly dominant in the lower price range, especially following the launch of its competitively priced 5G devices, the Redmi13 and Note 13 series. Redmi devices have garnered widespread acceptance in India, Latin America, Southeast Asia, as well as the Middle East and Africa, leading to a notable surge in market share.

In the Q2 2024 budget smartphone market share ranking, Xiaomi, Samsung, and OPPO secured the top three spots, with the remaining position occupied by Transsion. Xiaomi's Redmi 13C series, introduced globally this year, has also achieved significant success, demonstrating steady growth.

With the release of Qualcomm's new Snapdragon processors in October, Xiaomi is on the verge of unveiling its brand-new digital flagship. The launch of this new model is projected to spark a new wave of growth on a global scale, leaving us in anticipation.