Mobile technology has been increasing for the last couple of years. There is a technological race for the future in which many companies strive hard to set themselves as the ‘industry leader.’ One of the latest trends in smartphone companies these days is under-display cameras that allow smartphone manufacturers to store the front camera below the screen. This feature helps front cameras to produce images even after behind the displays. It is a significant achievement since small bezels, and bigger screens have been in demand for years. Having an all-screen phone with an under-display camera makes it more attractive for consumers. For them, the edge around the screen is free space that can be used for the content. So, smartphone companies are trying hard to hide sensors and other parts facing the users.
Latest developments
Let us look at the latest developments. Recently, Chinese smartphone maker ZTE launched the Axon 40 Ultra, a new phone in its catalogue that features an under-display camera. The company ZTE was the first to produce the world’s first all-screen smartphone, i.e., Axon 20. Axon 40 Ultra has a 6.8-inch display with a camera inside the screen. In this phone, you might see a screen that spanned the entire body without a noticeable camera, making this phone special. While Axon 40 has solved several issues that were observed in previous generations.
Other brands like Samsung, Oppo, and Xiaomi offer Under Display camera technology smartphones, namely Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3, Xiaomi Mi Mix 4, Oppo under-screen camera, Vivo Apex 2020, and real-me under-display camera phone.
Under display camera challenges
Every technology has some limitations. Let’s consider some of the aspects which show some signs of improvement. Although the smartphone with UDC manages to display images from the camera, there are a few limitations. In some under-display camera phones, the hidden lens may be more noticeable. It might be observed in the case of Galaxy Z Fold3 but not in Axon 30 since Axon 30 successfully gives the illusion of a seamless display almost all the time.
In addition, there are some background brightness issues regarding selfie photos in smartphones with under-display cameras. As in the case of the selfie photo from Axon 30, background-color details are far lacking. Moreover, it is difficult for the front camera sensor to get the best image quality as the light has to go through various layers of glass and is partly blocked by pixels. Another intriguing issue is that these parts might reduce internal space inside the phone. The motors which move these parts add weight and thickness to the device. These are some of the weak areas of this technology.
Repairability-
A thorough inspection of these smartphones’ display construction does not seem to be different from the usual ones. The only distinction is that the screen is transparent through the top hole for the selfie camera. However, this does not affect its repairability, as fixing it back together is easy. The ease in repairability makes the screen smartphones with under-display camera technology a welcome sign for the future. Contrary to pop-up cameras, you might observe that sometimes innovation makes repairs much more complicated. Therefore it is good seeing that this technology will not end up restricting both consumers and repair technicians.
Future of this technology
Major brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, ZTE, and Apple have breakthroughs in UDC. This technology might go beyond the smartphone form factor and believe to be the door to other possibilities. Apart from smartphones, we can also apply this technology to other devices such as TVs, monitors, laptops, etc. After smartphones, you might see this technology in laptops, for example, a computer with an under-display camera. Similarly, a Smart tv screen or monitor might have a camera behind the tv screen, enabling facetime or video calls with no need for additional cameras.
This technology is in the developing phase, and a survey shows results regarding people’s interest in the phones with under-display selfie cameras. Having an all-screen phone with an under-display camera makes it more attractive for consumers. So in the future, we can expect this technology in more flagship smartphones and gradually affect mid-range and even entry-level smartphones.
Description
Having an all-screen phone with an under-display camera makes it more attractive for consumers.
