Spy shots of Xiaomi foldable smartphone running MIUI 12 reveal a problematic issue that still needs ironing out

Spy shots of a Xiaomi foldable phone have been posted onto Chinese social media, with MyFixGuide managing to save them before they were taken down. The real-world images, which seem to have come from a public transport system in China, reveal what is obviously a foldable device thanks to the presence of a not-too-subtle crease running down the center. Views of the operating system reveal it to be MIUI 12, so therefore these are live photos of a Xiaomi foldable.

Xiaomi has shown off a foldable device before, but the engineering model that was highlighted in a short but intriguing video clip seemingly disappeared, with the company happy to wait to see how other rival foldable smartphones fared on the market. It’s long been rumored that Xiaomi would release a foldable phone in 2021, and there has even been speculation that a Mi Mix 4 or any Mi Mix successor would be mass produced in a foldable form.

The spy shots, which typically for Xiaomi devices are more than likely staged by management just to drum up a bit of hype for an upcoming smartphone, show the Xiaomi foldable ("Xiaomi Mi Fold"?) protected in a thick case, and there is no obvious camera system to be seen. Numerous patents have revealed Xiaomi’s intriguing ideas for a foldable smartphone camera solution, so it could be that the firm has something exciting in the works.

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