Xiaomi has been pushing it to the limits with the MIX series phones when it comes to smartphone design. The original Mi MIX started the trend for bezel-less design on phones and even when the industry has achieved it, Xiaomi is trying to push the design further. After the impressive Mi MIX Alpha, it seems Xiaomi wants to come up with another commercial model from the MIX series this year. Thanks to a leak, it already seems like an interesting device.

One of Xiaomi's patents has leaked showing a new smartphone with a new design and concept. It's said to preview an upcoming Mi MIX series devices and it uses an already tested technology to retain its no-notch display concept - a dual display implementation. Yes, the next generation MIX series flagship could come with a dual-display layout just to get rid of the notch or a punch-hole cutout for the front camera.

Xiaomi keeps on filing lots of patents that never see the light of the day but if Xiaomi goes ahead with this implementation, we could see it working well. Similar to the previous MIX models, the phone shows a narrow bezel display with possibly no curved edges - just a flat display with slim borders. The tiny top bezel houses the speaker grille, a proximity sensor and a notification sensor. There's no selfie camera visible at the front.

It's at the back where things become interesting. The device has a dual-camera system mounted on the top-left corner and it is accompanied by a small display placed below. The entire module seems similar to a massive camera module on the current generation phones. Chances are that when the user wants to take a selfie, the rear display will act as a viewfinder to take photos.

The benefit with this layout is that you get to take high-quality selfies using the main camera. However, when you want to do a video call, it might be an issue seeing anything on the small display. This alone could be a reason this device might never make it out of the concept stage.

The dual-display technology is in use these days by some folding phones such as a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and a Motorola Razr. However, the implementation in those phones is done in a way to make the best use out of it. On this MIX concept, it might be tough living with the tiny display at the back.