Xiaomi has long been the largest smartphone manufacturer in China. In the last three years, however, manufacturers such as Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo have gained so much market share – particularly at the expense of companies such as Samsung, Lenovo, and ZTE – that Xiaomi is now regarded as the largest smartphone manufacturer in China.
In Europe, the company accounts for 5% of the total market share, which puts Xiaomi in position 5 of the best-selling smartphone brands in Europe. There is no official Xiaomi shop or webshop in the Netherlands, but you can buy Xiaomi smartphones via various Dutch websites, such as Mobiel and Bol. If Xiaomi wants to continue growing, it must show innovation.
Xiaomi smartphone with edge display on four sides
On February 5, 2019, a design patent from Bejing Xiaomi Mobile Software was published in the Global Design Database of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office). The patent shows a full-screen smartphone with a dual camera on the back.
However, the special thing about this phone is the display, which is rounded off on all four sides, as described in the summary patent description. In other words, left and right – just like with a Samsung Galaxy S series smartphone – but also on the top and bottom. The screen runs beautifully symmetrically, exactly up to half the thickness of the housing. There is, incidentally, no button on the device. At the bottom, we only see a connection for the USB Type-C connection.
The design patent does not make clear whether the device will have a selfie camera. Probably this will be placed under the screen, just like the fingerprint scanner. Xiaomi is known for paying a lot of attention to the front camera.
For example, the Chinese manufacturer introduced the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 last year, this was the world’s first full-screen smartphone with a slider camera that houses a dual front camera. LetsGoDigital also recently published a Xiaomi smartphone with a dual punch-hole camera. In addition, the company acquired the Chinese competitor Meitu at the end of last year, known for its selfie apps. Xiaomi will undoubtedly want to use this knowledge in future Xiaomi smartphones.
Xiaomi smartphones
Whether and when this futuristic Xiaomi smartphone will be introduced is as yet unknown. But given the rapid developments that are currently taking place in the display industry, this can be faster than many people think.
Xiaomi also has a folding smartphone in development. It is likely that more clarity will be given on MWC 2019 about this innovative telephone with a flexible display. In addition, the company will present its first 5G smartphone, it is a 5G variant of the Mi Mix 3.
