New Xiaomi patent indicates an iPhone-esque design and mysterious pop-outs possibly for 360-degree video recording

Xiaomi, like many Chinese OEMs, is known for releasing phones across various price points at a rapid pace with several upcoming models such as the Mi CC10, Redmi 9, and the Redmi Karna in the pipeline. Now, it looks like the Chinese smartphone major may soon introduce a new phone sporting a full-screen design and an unconventional pop-up camera setup. 

A patent filed by Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software at the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) was recently discovered by our friends over at LetsGoDigital. The patent shows product designs of what could possibly be an upcoming Xiaomi phone. At first glance, the design of the frame is reminiscent of that of the iPhone. Xiaomi looks to be implementing a full screen devoid of any notch or punch-hole with a vertically stacked triple-camera setup located at the rear. 

However, what is intriguing about this design patent is the top part of the device. There are two pop-outs that come from the top side of the housing. The patent itself does not offer much details, but these seem to be similar to a pop-up camera system. It is very well possible that these serve as both selfie and 360-degree cameras given that there is no camera hole shown on the display.

Recently, we have reported about a Xiaomi patent that details an under-display camera tech. We are not sure if this particular phone would actually sport such an under-display camera. If so, the utility of the two pop-outs becomes unclear.

The design patent also shows an additional button to the left side of the device, the function of which is not yet known. We assume that it could be a Record button of sorts to control the pop-outs for easy 360-degree video recording. 

It must be noted that a patent does not always result in a commercial product, so this design may or may not make to a future Xiaomi smartphone. However, given the cut-throat competition in the Android realm, Xiaomi would want to look at offering unique designs to stand out from the sea of Android OEMs.