Tech companies are obsessed with achieving a true 100% screen to body ratio on their smartphones. And the front camera is the biggest obstacle that comes in between this dream. We have already seen technologies such as a punch-hole camera, pop-up camera, and even a rotating camera to maximize the screen real estate on smartphones. However, future implementations are going to be even more exciting with the front camera going under the display. And it looks like we could see our first under-display camera (UDC) module as soon as early 2020 as a report reveals that Samsung is already prepping the technology for mass production.
South Korean media website, The Elec reports that Samsung’s Under Display Camera Technology (UDC) will make its way on to a smartphone by the first half of 2020. Samsung Display has brought two pieces of equipment to its campuses: the HIAA1 and HIAA2. The term HIAA stands for Hole In Active Area which reportedly helps Samsung to cut out a display in the OLED for the camera.
Samsung is reportedly testing the HIAA1 equipment for standard punch-hole displays while the HIAA2 will be used for the Under Display Camera technology. While the HIAA1 was brought to Samsung’s campus back in August, the HIAA2 was brought to the facility this month. Mass production of the UDC OLED panels is expected to kick off around H1 2020.
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How Will Samsung’s Under Display Camera Technology Work?
The Elec reports that Samsung will use the HIAA2 equipment to create a transparent display where the UDC will be placed. The equipment comes with a laser to drill a number of tiny holes in the display to improve the transmission of light to the camera below it. The process is called Laser Etching.
Samsung’s current R&D team is focused on reducing the size and number of pixels in that area and increasing the transparency and permeability of the substrate. The current OLED substrate is not transparent and has a yellow tint.
After testing out HIAA2 this month, Samsung Display will reportedly send it out to mass production facilities early next year. A true Under Display Camera smartphone from Samsung can be expected by the first half of 2020.
The First-Gen Under Display Cameras May Not Be Great
Samsung has a lot of challenges to overcome in order to perfect this technology. Apart from making a specific area of the OLED display transparent for the camera underneath, the company will also have to work on the algorithms to effectively balance the yellow glow and slight blurriness of the photos captured from the camera.
While this might take some time, the UDC technology is expected to improve in the coming years, just like the under-display fingerprint sensor which improved after a couple of generations.
There Could Be Multiple Smartphones Featuring UDC In 2020.
Samsung would most likely use this UDC technology on an S series flagship, possibly the S11. But it is said that this technology is more likely to end up on the successor to the Galaxy Fold next year.
Samsung could be the first smartphone company to release an Under Display Camera smartphone but it could soon be joined by multiple companies. OPPO, Xiaomi, and Honor have confirmed that they are working on an Under Display Camera smartphone. In fact, Xiaomi and OPPO both have showcased their technologies a few months back.
But will they be any good? We’ll have to wait and see!
Nevertheless, exciting times ahead.
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