Xiaomi has recently been granted a patent that describes a pop-up design for a phone where the front camera can pop upwards to provide a complete full-screen experience on the front of the device.
The technology patent was filed in August 2018, approved on June 9, 2020, and included in the patent library of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO).
At the time, many Chinese handset manufacturers were keen to adopt such a pop-up design, but manufacturers have since moved towards the simpler process of punch-hole screen technology.
The patent repository provides a wealth of design sketches showing the pop-up design from multiple angles. It has a USB-C port on the bottom and some speaker grills in very visible places.
There's no 3.5 mm headphone port though, and the location and appearance of the topmost camera shows it has a periscope sensor, with two secondary cameras, possibly an ultra-wide-angle and depth sensor.
