Xiaomi 16 Pro Reportedly Using 3D Print Metal Context

JAKARTA After the Xiaomi 15 flagship series officially rolled globally this week and is scheduled to arrive on March 11, rumors about its successor, the Xiaomi 16 Pro, have already begun to emerge.

According to the latest leak, Xiaomi 16 Pro is likely to use a metal frame made with 3D printed technology. This information comes from TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who shared the details through platform X (formerly Twitter).

Kuo claims that the Xiaomi 16 Pro will have a metal center frame produced using 3D printing technology from a supplier from China, Bright Laser Technologies.

One of the main advantages of this 3D print-based structure is the hollow design that can help reduce device weight while increasing the cooling system without sacrificing its structural power.

Although promising, 3D printing technology is not without challenges. This manufacturing process builds objects layer by layer, which slows production over conventional methods. In addition, production costs tend to be higher.

However, Kuo said that if the benefits of 3D printing technology outweigh the drawbacks, smartphone manufacturers could start adopting them widely, especially in applications where production efficiency is not a top priority.

This situation reminded the Sharp experiment in the early 2000s with the SH251is mova, the first phone to have a 3D display without glasses. Although innovative, the technology has limitations, such as only functioning optimally from a certain point of view.

Two decades later, technological advances allowed devices such as ZTE Nubia Pad 3D to provide a 3D display experience without much better glasses.

Meanwhile, adoption of a 3D print framework on a smartphone may not be as complicated as developing a 3D screen, but it will take some time before this technology can be widely used in the industry.