We've lived through the painful days of notched screens and harmony will soon side with the masses. Even though pop-up cameras and punch-hole cameras contributed fairly to mark the end of the notch in a phone, what Xiaomi and Oppo have in store trumps all solutions. The ultimate goal of achieving highest screen-to-body ratio is fulfilled.
Now, Oppo and Xiaomi have taken a page from the evolution of fingerprint sensors in smartphones. Companies have largely embraced in-display fingerprint scanner and some have even gone to the extent of integrating the earpiece under the screen. Oppo and Xiaomi have now found a way to place the front camera under the display without a cutout.
Oppo has shared a short video demonstrating in-screen cameras via its official Twitter handle. At first glance, it is impossible to locate the front camera, but on closer inspection, the position of the camera can be identified.
For those seeking the perfect, notchless smartphone screen experience – prepare to be amazed. ?
— OPPO (@oppo) June 3, 2019
You are taking a very first look at our under-display selfie camera technology. RT! ? pic.twitter.com/FrqB6RiJaY
The demo video shows a prototype with in-display camera inside a case with a curved screen. The front camera is camouflaged under the active pixels on the blackened screen. But the 15-second video makes it difficult to judge the quality of the images produced. However, the implementation is the best we've seen in recent time and could drive more companies to adopt the in-display camera.
Besides Oppo, Xiaomi jumped at the first chance it got to show its "ultimate shocking" technology. The 15-second teaser shows the in-display camera in action by turning the area of the display above the front camera turns transparent so light can enter the sensor. When the camera is not in use, the screen fills up space above the selfie camera.
Check this out from our R&D team! @Xiaomi continues to innovate and we have some exciting tech up our sleeves. RT if you love under display camera! #xiaomi pic.twitter.com/4Rlzt9uRAd
— Alvin Tse (@atytse) June 3, 2019
If you're guessing Oppo and Xiaomi display technology are similar, Xiaomi notes that its development is "independent intellectual property," and that it is different from that of Oppo. But it's unclear when to expect both these Chinese manufacturers to bring
innovative technology to the market. For now, we just have to wait and watch as companies race to end the notch era and also offer a viable substitute for punch-hole and pop-up cameras.
