Huawei might be working on a foldable phone with clamshell design

While we are still waiting for the Mate Xs follow-up, the company seems to be exploring the possibilities of doing a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip competitor with clamshell design. At least according to this design patent filed back in April at the China National Intellectual Property Office.

Looking at the image, the phone looks strikingly similar to the Galaxy Z Flip with one exception - the external screen is considerably bigger and perhaps will be used for more than just notifications and the time. It takes the better part of the upper-half of the back panel where the cameras are positioned.

And since the renders don't show any front-facing camera, the external display will serve as a viewfinder for selfies too. This way the frontal design where the foldable display is, will be clean without any cutouts or obstructions.

There are no images showing the handset closed from the side so we don't know if the OEM is planning to leave a small gap between the two halves.

In any case, keep in mind that this is just a patent and there are no real evidence that Huawei is working on such form factor. Not all patents make it to the real-world.

Source (in Dutch)