A leak of Xiaomi's patent for the design of a tri-fold smartphone has sparked speculation that Xiaomi intends to enter the triple-folding phone market, following the launch of the Huawei Mate XT.

Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Honor appear ready to follow rival Huawei Technologies' lead by launching their own tri-fold models, as public records show that the two firms have each previously applied for a design patent on a double-hinged handset.

A recent report shows that Xiaomi's new application with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has unveiled the design of what could be its upcoming tri-fold smartphone.

Another smartphone OEM might join the tri-fold trend as a set of images was spotted in a Chinese database. The discovery made by 91Mobiles suggests that the Chinese OEM Xiaomi is

Xiaomi on Wednesday promoted a new triple-fold smartphone patent, following Huawei’s launch of the Mate XT, the industry’s first triple-fold smartphone,