Emir Bardakçı
Well, on February 5, 2021, Xiaomi brought before the world a concept phone with a quad-curved display that stopped many tech enthusiasts dead in their tracks. The device in question, with a screen curving on all four edges, left enthusiast fans and industry insiders in a crazed tizzy over a promotional video released that very day. Well, since that day, Xiaomi has gone mum on this futuristic phone, and no real sightings of life photos or videos of the unit are currently available.
So Far, the Mystery Deepens
Since then to date, a number of leaks and rumors have been in the limelight, which tried to shine a light on what could have possibly occurred to this elusive device known by its interior codename, “Freesia.” Today, leaked information has exposed that there are in fact two versions of the Freesia device: one with the quad-curved display and another with an extendable screen. While these might have had different codenames, our focus is on the quad-curved display version only.
The model number, reportedly, which this device carries is U4. The series name here, also, is part of Xiaomi’s concept series, which includes the first foldable phone U1 and then the Xiaomi MIX Alpha U2. Concept phones like these usually do not go into heavy production, so there is no IMEI registration.
Early Leaks
Xiaomi’s concept phones used to be patented by the LetsGoDigital website. A quad curved phone with a different design was patented in 2019. However, our guest, the Xiaomi U4 Freesia, was patented on July 7, 2021. So the development process took quite a long time. Xiaomi used patent V1 in its promotional video.
Development and Code Leaks
The codename “Freesia” came up for the first time in MIUI codes in April 2022 this indicated that the company continued developing the smartphone long after it was unveiled to the public. According to sources who spoke to us, the project never left the P0 stage, which is the prototype stage of the product. A device must be at the P2 stage to be considered ready for mass production.
Interestingly, some pieces of information leak that the device might have continued its development up to Late 2022. A person who reportedly got hold of the project mentioned that the phone was having a pure Android engineering software version with a security patch of September 2022, which means that the work intended on the device likely extended toward late 2022, probably indicating that till then, the company was still at least trying to see how it would go. Xiaomi used the V1 version of the prototype in its promo video. It may have tried V2 production by the end of 2022.
Was the Project Transferred?
Later in 2022, another Xiaomi project was in the works, codenamed “Wukong” and to be a part of that new MIX series. Far too many resources and focus may have been transferred to Wukong, effectively sidelining the idea of a Quad-Curved display.
Rumored Features and Specs
Rumor has it that if the Xiaomi U4 Freesia had hit the market, it would have gotten a name much like its predecessor, the Mi MIX Alpha. Fact in point, one bunch of leaked images of the back cover shows the word “ALPHA,” but then again, this could simply be a placeholder since Xiaomi does tend to use a lot of different words instead of Xiaomi brand at the prototype stage.
Now that concept was rumored to boast a Dimensity 9000 processor, a 2K quad-curved 120Hz display, an ultrasonic buttonless design, and even a 108MP Samsung HMX camera. Interestingly, five months later from the moment the concept was launched, Xiaomi actually released the Xiaomi 12S Pro Dimensity Edition with a Dimensity 9000+, so it looks like some of that technology might have been channeled into other projects.
What Next for Xiaomi?
It is currently rumored that Xiaomi working on a new trifold, buttonless design phone. It remains to be seen if this device will see the light of day, or will it disappear into oblivion like the Freesia. Whether it is ever going to be launched, the fate of this quad-curved display concept phone is shrouded in mystery. This leaves us guessing at what could have been and still might come from the innovative approach taken by Xiaomi in its design of smartphones.
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