Apple has recently filed a patent showcasing an under-display sensor technology that could be used for biometrics and gesture control in iPhones and Apple Watches. The patent outlines the use of a quantum film infrared sensor that could generate sensor data based on received infrared light, which could then be processed by control circuitry to perform proximity sensing, capture images of external objects, identify facial features, detect the direction of a user’s gaze, track object location, and detect physical gestures.

Despite the exciting possibilities that this technology could bring, display tech expert and analyst Ross Young has stated that the implementation of under-panel Face ID technology may not be possible until 2025 or later due to sensor-related issues. However, Apple’s engineering teams are working on ways to overcome these challenges and determine the best way to implement the technology.

In addition to under-display Face ID technology, Apple has also experimented with an under-display version of Touch ID for the iPhone. While it is unlikely to be included in the upcoming iPhone 15 or other high-end models in the near future, there is a chance that it may make a return on lower-end models like the iPhone SE. This dual authentication approach, in conjunction with Face ID, could prove especially beneficial in instances where Face ID may not function correctly and offers an additional level of security.

Overall, Apple’s latest patent showcases exciting possibilities for under-display sensor technology that could change the way we interact with our devices. While there may be challenges to overcome before the technology can be implemented, it’s clear that Apple’s engineering teams are committed to exploring various approaches and determining the best way forward.

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Samsung has reportedly scrapped the idea of introducing Under Display Camera tech with the upcoming Galaxy S21 series. According to the latest report, the low production yield rate is the reason for dropping the idea.

South Korean media TheElec, in a report, says that Samsung will try to finally adopt it in the next iteration of the foldable device, allegedly called the Z Fold 3 in Q2 2021. Just like Galaxy S20 or Fold 2, early rumors said Galaxy S21 will include the UDC technology. But now, it seems like Samsung has done away with the idea as reported earlier.

As per the report, Samsung Display, which is the manufacturer of many Samsung smartphones’ displays has been trying the HIAA process for UDC technology. HIAA refers to Hole In Active Area. Introduced with the S10 series, it uses high-precision lasers to cut through the display to make way for cameras. The report says the process, which lowers the defect on adjacent electronic parts, has two methods- HIAA 1 and HIAA 2.

In the first method, Samsung punches a hole in a single shot whereas, in the second method, it does it with multiple micro holes. Out of this, HIAA 2, which was commissioned last year by Samsung, uses Wonik IPS’ vacuum chamber, and Philoptics laser. The company apparently tried to use HIAA 2 and also a transparent film method. However, it has reportedly faced low production yield-rates. It generally means the rate of undefective items out of total items produced.

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A recap of UDC technology

For the unaware, UDC is a new technology that aims to remove the concept of drilling holes on displays. Instead, the part of the display that is covering the camera turns transparent as the camera operates eliminating punch-holes/notches.

Companies like Oppo, Xiaomi, Vivo have already been working on improving the technology. However, ZTE has come out with a first commercial device, Axon 20 5G. The technology behind all these companies’ prototypes is like the low-reflective glass covering the camera with high transmittance. When selfie is triggered, it becomes transparent allowing light to enter.

However, the Polyimide(PI) substrate that is predominant in OLED screens has a problem of distortion when allowing the light to pass through. Hence, it needs a camera tech that is both thinner and converts the distorted light with yellow tints to normal color for best results. From the looks of it, Samsung is yet to perfect the issues and hence, it will reportedly use the same punch-hole displays on the next S21 series.

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Smartphone manufacturers have been trying to come up with a perfect solution for a full-screen device. After offering a pop-up camera module, manufacturers are now working on under-display camera technology.

While ZTE has already launched the world’s first smartphone with an under-display camera — ZTE Axon 20 5G, other manufacturers like OPPO and Xiaomi are working on the same. Now, it seems that Realme has also joined the list.

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Realme’s Vice President and President of Global Marketing Xu Qi has today shared a photo on Weibo which shows a smartphone without any notch on top of the display. This hints that the company is gearing up to launch a device with under-display camera technology.

However, do note that the Xu Qi has not explicitly confirmed that this is the company’s upcoming smartphone using in-display camera technology. But going by his comments on the same post, he has teased selfies and confirmed there’s no pop-up camera, hinting that the phone is using under-display camera technology.

Recently, Xu Qi had teased a new flagship smartphone from the company, which is likely to be powered by the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 chipset. This comes at a time when there are reports claiming that OPPO has killed off its Ace lineup of smartphones and will be replacing it with a new series under its Realme brand.

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Several smartphone makers are working on an under-display camera technology but it seems that China-based ZTE will be the first to commercially launch a smartphone featuring an under-screen camera.

ZTE’s President for Mobile Business, Ni Fei, has today confirmed that the company will be launching the first smartphone with an under-display camera technology — ZTE A20 5G. As per the report, he has also claimed that the camera result is also good.

The report adds that a blind camera test was carried out with the participation of a few people, which revealed no issues in terms of camera output with this new technology.

So far, the smartphone has also passed through the network access license process, which reveals that it carries model number ZTE A2021. However, it’s likely that the smartphone will get launched as ZTE Axon 20 5G.

Currently, information about the phone’s design is not known but it will come with a true full-screen display given that the camera sensor is now placed underneath the display. Till now, for a full-screen experience, the phone manufacturers had relied on a pop-up front-facing camera. However, it increases the overall weight of the device because of the presence of a mechanical structure.

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While not yet confirmed, it is being speculated that the company could be using the under-display camera technology developed by Visionox. It is said to have been optimized through a special pixel arrangement to eliminate the difference in brightness, color gamut, and viewing angle. Visionox has also started mass-producing this technology.

The upcoming phone will serve as a successor to the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G which went official earlier this year, which carries model number A2020. We expect more details about the Axon 20 5G smartphone to start surfacing online in the coming weeks.

Although the company has not yet revealed the launch date, we expect the smartphone to go official in China in a few weeks or months. Apart from ZTE, brands like OPPO and Samsung are also working on similar technology for their smartphones.

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Despite facing increasing pressures from the US Government, it seems Huawei is still going strong with new smartphone launches and patents, with a recent design patent revealing a special handset with an under-display camera and virtual buttons on the side.

The new patent was filed with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) back in 2019, which was finally granted earlier this month. The patent was also included in the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) database and carried 14 images for two smartphones with only slight differences in their design.

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The first patented device features a full screen body on the front, with minimal bezels on every side. There is no popup mechanism visible or punch hole camera visible, which means that an under display camera technology might be planned. One of its interesting aspects is on the sides, with the display crossing over and curving into small regions on the sides. This portion will house virtual buttons for both the volume rockers, power buttons, and possibly other functionalities as well.

The only difference between the two patented devices also lies here, with the first having just a slightly curved display cutout while the second has its cutouts reach till the back panel. In other words, a small portion of the display is visible from the back. Unfortunately, no finer details regarding the device are currently available and it might just be Huawei’s attempt to cover all bases. So stay tuned for any new updates.

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Under-screen cameras are the next big thing in smartphones. The technology is still being developed by a number of smartphone manufacturers in the market right now, including OPPO. In fact, OPPO revealed its under screen camera prototype a few days back. While we saw the real phone in action, we didn’t get any specific details about the technology. Today, OPPO’s R&D team engineer sheds some more details about the development of this next-gen technology.

For those seeking the perfect, notchless smartphone screen experience – prepare to be amazed.

You are taking a very first look at our under-display selfie camera technology. RT! pic.twitter.com/FrqB6RiJaY

— OPPO (@oppo) June 3, 2019

According to an engineer working for OPPO, the company started studying under-screen cameras as early as 2017. To recall, the industry’s obsession with full-screen displays really kick-started after the launch of the Xiaomi Mi Mix around late 2016. There have been multiple solutions for a truly bezel-less smartphone since then, with the recent emergence of pop-up front cameras. But it’s clear that under-screen cameras are the future of smartphones. And it’s only a matter of time until we see a commercial device sporting this technology.

OPPO’s engineer reveals that the biggest challenge in implementing this technology is that no one has actually managed to successfully do it yet. He compares its development to crossing a river by just feeling the stones under it as there are numerous difficulties associated with bringing it to a commercial smartphone.

The under-screen camera has to work with other hardware flawlessly and algorithms are needed to perfect the camera experience. But if implemented properly, the under-screen cameras will perfect the smartphone screen experience. The engineer adds that it doesn’t add any weight to the body and even the display area above the camera functions perfectly. So, there’s no need for any ugly notches or moving parts to bring a truly full-screen experience.

Unfortunately, it looks like it will still take some time before someone manages to perfect the technology. We know companies like OPPO, Xiaomi, and Honor are working on a prototype, but what they revealed last week was just a proof of development. It’s similar to how Xiaomi demoed the 100W fast charging technology earlier this year. It’s still in development and a commercial release is at least a few months away.

So for now, it looks like companies will focus on tweaking existing pop-up camera solutions similar to what we saw in the Zenfone 6.

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As most of the smartphone manufacturers are working to place the front camera under-display, Honor has also jumped into the pursuit. While talking about the innovations in a recent interview, Honor president George Zhao confirms the development of in-display camera technology. Honor has already developed a prototype device featuring the under display camera though it is currently experiencing some problems.

He believes the under-display camera technology is not mature enough to exist on the Honor devices which are coming soon. However, he considers placing the new technology on the relevant commercial products in the near future.

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According to Zhao, the punch hole display will become an essential part of the mainstream smartphone design in the future. Various devices such as Samsung Galaxy S10 and Honor 20 Pro already carries the new technology. Honor is the first smartphone manufacturer to use the punch hole camera design on the LCD display.

A few other manufacturers have already patented their own take on the new technology. Samsung and Xiaomi are also developing their own under display camera technology. The manufacturers are looking forward to innovating ways to improve the screen-to-body ratio on smartphones.

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Who would’ve thought that Xiaomi would be the ones pushing for innovation in this day and age? Well, they’ve been doing it ever since the first MI Mix, and today they’ve got something special. Xiaomi co-founder and president Lin Bin shares a very interesting video showing a working under display selfie camera!

This comes just moments after Oppo’s video of the exact same tech, and the timing is impeccable. This reminds of back in the day when companies would rush to show off the latest changes as soon as they could. Both companies sharing under display selfie cameras on the same day, that’s pretty awesome.

Xiaomi’s video is a lot clearer and straightforward than Oppo’s however. While Oppo’s was very much a test from behind the scenes with a weird angle, Xiaomi’s is a straight up comparison. We can clearly see the Xiaomi Mi9, next to what appears to be a notchless Xiaomi Mi9. The video shows the lack of a notch, and then continues to showcase that the invisible selfie camera works just fine.

Now these are some exciting times! Between foldable phones, hidden selfie camera tech, companies racing to be first and the Huawei debacle, there’s been something interesting going on almost every day! It’s a great feeling to be able to talk about something new, instead of just the latest flagship release. We hope this trend towards new, innovative tech continues, it’s been great to write about.

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Bringing ultimate viewing experience is the primary goal for most of the smartphone manufacturers since recent times. Different approaches like dew drop notch, pop-up slider are developed to uplift the viewing experience on smartphones. The Chinese smartphone maker – Oppo is also coming with a new yet different approach. It could launch a new under-display camera smartphone this year, reveals a popular tipster Ben Geskin via his Twitter account.

This year OPPO will show a smartphone with under display camera pic.twitter.com/JkKoliJiZS

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) May 11, 2019

However, Mr Geskin also shared an image of an unknown smartphone along with the new announcement. He didn’t mention any other detail about the device. The new phone might come with thin bezels, sliding camera mechanism, and will sport a design similar to devices with pop-up cameras.

Much like the under-display fingerprint sensor, the upcoming Oppo smartphone will feature a new camera underneath the phone’s display. Oppo’s success with the new camera technology will open doors for the vast majority of the smartphone manufactures. It will help them to save the smartphone’s basic design model.

Samsung and a few other manufacturers are also working on a similar technology to hide the front cameras. Samsung’s R&D department vice president stated that “The technology can move forward to the point where the camera hole will be invisible, while not affecting the camera’s function in any way.” Few patents related to the underneath cameras have appeared at the trademark registration offices in some countries.

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Only a few months are left before the launch of new hardware later this year.

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