On September 18th, the China National Intellectual Property Administration publicized a design patent submitted by Xiaomi, showcasing Xiaomi's triple-fold smartphone design.

The patent features a similar scheme to Huawei's triple-fold, with a Z-shaped folding mechanism. It has three cameras arranged horizontally on the back, along with an LED flash, making for a very innovative design.

This year, Chinese flagship smartphones have started to focus on triple-fold models. First, Huawei launched the Mate XT triple-fold model, which saw over 6.26 million reservations on the official website within just 10 days, with a starting price of 19,999 yuan. Subsequently, there were reports that Samsung is also developing dual-fold and rollable phones, which might be launched next year.

As for Xiaomi, according to the tipster Smart Pikachu, Xiaomi's triple-fold screen is in an advanced stage of development and could be launched soon. Currently, the digital industry estimates that Xiaomi might unveil this disruptive product at the MWC 2025 or other significant events, but there are no further details to substantiate this speculation.

Rumors also suggest that Xiaomi's triple-fold smartphone might be launched under its MIX brand, equipped with the native system Surge OS and Leica camera layout, positioning it as a high-end flagship across Xiaomi's entire product chain.

Xiaomi's journey with folding screens began in 2019. At that time, Xiaomi's co-founder Lin Bin announced Xiaomi's first dual-fold smartphone, which actually laid the foundation for Xiaomi's exploration in folding screen technology. The exposure of this triple-fold screen phone patent also signifies Xiaomi's intention to further advance in the high-end folding market.

Currently, China's folding screen phone market remains a blue ocean. According to the latest quarterly forecast report on mobile phones released by the International Data Corporation (IDC), it is estimated that the shipment of folding screen phones in China will be about 10.68 million units in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 52.4%; by 2028, the shipment of folding screen phones in China will exceed 17 million units, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 19.8%.

IDC states that since their introduction in 2019, folding screen phones have been creating differentiated experiences through changes in appearance, thereby attracting consumer attention and maintaining rapid growth. Especially since Apple has not entered this market, various Android manufacturers have been focusing on developing their own folding screen products, releasing differentiated products from Apple, and narrowing the gap with Apple in the high-end market.

In terms of market structure, Huawei has always been an important player in China's folding screen phone market, with a market share exceeding one-third since 2020; Honor and vivo have achieved a market share of 23.3% and 18.7% respectively in the first half of this year, thanks to their successful creation of new products in "lightweight" and "all-round" categories; OPPO still ranks fourth this year without new product launches, with a market share of 8.6%; Samsung's folding screen products face significant competitive pressure from Chinese brands, with a market share of only 4.2%.

It remains to be seen whether Xiaomi's entry into the triple-fold market will break the "dominance" of Huawei's series in China's folding screen market.