Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 vs Huawei Mate 40 Pro: Chinese OEMs stocking up on ultra-thin glass could indicate potential dynamite flagship smartphone or foldable rivalry

It appears that Xiaomi and Huawei are planning on utilizing ultra-thin glass (UTG) with some of their upcoming flagship devices. Noted Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station has given up this information and included the fact that UTG is frequently used for flexible, foldable, or curved smartphone displays. Another source has revealed that the Huawei Mate 40 Pro smartphone will feature an ultra-thin display (UTD), so this connects the dots for this particular OEM buying up more UTG supplies. Huawei is also expected to produce yet another foldable device in the not too distant future.

Xiaomi has long been linked with the development of a foldable smartphone but has yet to release a consumer model. There was some buzz about the OEM last year due to video clips of what was known as the “Xiaomi Mi Fold” appearing at the time, but it’s possible the strife Samsung and Huawei had to deal with in regard to foldable devices led to Xiaomi temporarily mothballing its foldable projects. However, it seems inevitable that Xiaomi will eventually announce a consumer Mi foldable, possibly even borrowing from the Huawei Mate X series design for a future release.

With all the noise about a new Xiaomi Mi Mix smartphone lately, it seems reasonable to speculate that the UTG stocks could be being hoarded for this particular device. Xiaomi will want to make quite an impression with a Mi Mix 4 or Mi Mix 2020 phone, which seems to be the case so far if any of the numerous leaks in regard to the long-rumored flagship smartphone end up being genuine. It’s even possible the potential Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 could end up being a foldable device or at least have a similar curved display to the one expected for the Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is already believed to be something of a beast of a flagship smartphone, not least because of the 5nm Kirin SoC it will likely feature, so Xiaomi will not be able to cut any corners with a potential Mi Mix 4 or other Mi-branded smartphone rival. Making sure the upcoming device has a cutting-edge ultra-thin glass display is just one of the many details that cannot be skimped on for Xiaomi to win any future sales contest against its fellow Chinese OEM.