MOTOROLA

Brand is patenting a phone with a screen very similar to the Mi MIX Alpha model

Presented as a concept smartphone, the Mi MIX Alpha was never conceived as a commercial product, its only objective being to demonstrate the technological capabilities of the manufacturer Xiaomi, while testing the market reaction to the new design concept. And unfortunately, the impressions obtained were not so favourable, the touchscreen design that covers the phone case around it came with many disadvantages that could not be solved with the still very immature software at the time.

Meanwhile, Google announced Android L, the Android 12 edition specifically optimized for widescreen devices and especially foldable phones. Although the concept demonstrated by the Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha and reinterpreted in a recent patent for Motorola does not exactly fit the stated purpose for Android L, it would not be excluded to find some optimizations that make the experience with a smartphone “dressed” with a screen .

Illustrated with detailed renderings, the new smartphone design described in Motorola's patent bears obvious similarities to Xiaomi's prototype, the main novelty being the illustrated stylus next to the phone.

Based on the descriptions attached to the patent application, we found that the future Motorola phone would have multiple sensors for temperature measurement, ambient light detection, case orientation, and more proximity sensors for hand position detection. In addition to the main camera likely arranged in a vertical strip on the back of the phone, there will also be a front camera applied by punching through the center of the screen. Along with the aforementioned sensors, the two cameras will determine the user's position, or whether the phone is in their pocket, helping the software determine which part of the screen's surface is used and which areas where touch controls should be ignored.

The patent indicates the presence of an integrated fingerprint sensor under the screen, but not the headphone grille, suggesting that the sound will be reproduced directly through the glass surface using a piezoelectric inductor. This technical solution was also found in other smartphones, but the not very good quality of the hearing obtained discouraged the adoption of this technology on a large scale.

Interestingly, although the patent mentions the presence of a stylus, the slot for inserting it into the phone's case is not illustrated in the sketches provided, suggesting that it will be an optional accessory and an integral part of the user experience, as was the case with the series. Galaxy. Observation. The explanation for Motorola's decision may have to do with the technical limitations of the surrounding display design, which leaves little room for essential electronics such as the battery. In fact, we found this limitation in the Mi MIX Alpha prototype, which despite its appreciable thickness and weight, was only equipped with a 4050mAh battery, which could hardly cope with the screen with a total diagonal of almost 8 inches.

For now, Motorola's new patented touchscreen phone may never see the light of day as the idea has already been tested and buried by Xiaomi. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry seems more concerned about folding and rolling phones, with growing consumer interest confirming the new trend.

mundophone