Smartphone manufacturers have experimented with different innovative display tech in a bid to entirely remove the notch and bezels from sight. The latest experimentation is Under Display Camera technology. A couple of months back, Chinese tech giant ZTE unveiled the world’s first smartphone with an Under Display camera – the Axon 20  5G.

The Axon 20 5G was recently unveiled for a price tag of $449 for the global market. At the same time, popular YouTuber Zach Nelson of the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything recently posted a video review aimed at the device’s durability.

We have now gotten a full teardown video of the Axon 20 5G from the same YouTuber.  The Teardown video gives us a vivid glimpse at the internals especially the under-display camera onboard the Axon 20 5G.

Apart from being only a dismantling of the different segments of an advanced mobile phone, the Axon 20 teardown shows us how ZTE is really utilizing two screens stacked on top of each other. This includes a compact, square screen on top of the selfie cam with a low resolution and the OLED panel on top. This arrangement allows the under-display camera peer out toward the user from underneath the top layer display.

The Axon 20 5G is a first-generation gadget, however, the release is without a doubt a sign of where smartphone design is headed in the near future. Moreso, tech giants strive to protect the edge-to-edge display without settling for cut-outs and notches for things like selfie cams and fingerprint scanners.

Check out the video of the Axon 20 5G teardown from above. You can also check out our video of how Xiaomi flagships have evolved over the years from the Mi 1 – Mi 10 below.

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A couple of months back, Chinese tech giant ZTE unveiled the world’s first smartphone with an Under Display camera – the Axon 20  5G. The smartphone has now gotten a teardown treatment by Zach from the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything.

The Under Display camera is the major focus of the Axon 20 5G and that is reflected in the special attention given to it. After analyzing the camera, the Youtuber then proceeded to the usually Scratch, Bend and Burn tests to determine if the device is worth the salt.

For the scratch test, like most other devices with a glass display, it scratches at a level 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Zach’s blade was able to chip some chunks clean off the frame because it is made from plastic. Also, the rear panel and camera cutouts are both made from regular glass with the back panel having a cool glossy finish.

The scratch test was also carried out on the under-display optical fingerprint sensor and even after scratches from a level 7 mineral pick it was still able to unlock the phone with ease. However, a quick burn near the selfie cam area of the display messes with its hiding properties and leaves a more visible trail.

During the bend test, the device experienced a slight bend. That isn’t a surprise as the device utilized a plastic frame but despite bending slightly, the device still remains intact.

As a reminder, the Axon 20 5G has a 6.92-inch OLED display with a 2460 x 1080p resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a Snapdragon 765G processor that draws juice from a 4220mAh battery with support for 30W wired fast charging and Quick Charge 4+.

The phone has four rear cameras – a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide angle camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. The camera under the display is a 32MP sensor. The phone also has an in-display fingerprint scanner, an “under-screen speaker”, and runs Android 10 out of the box.

The Axon 20 5G was recently unveiled for a price tag of $449 for the global market.

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Back in September, Chinese tech giant ZTE unveiled the Axon 20 5G in China. The smartphone has been on sale in China but the global release has been elusive until now. ZTE has opened reservation for the Axon 20 5G is some markets outside China.

In case you are interested in buying the smartphone, you can make a reservation right now by just typing your email address. The device will acaully start shipping on December 21. ZTE ha also indicated that there are limited number of units available at the moment. Howwever, you’ll have to make sure you reside in one of these countries listed below to make a reservation.

• United Kingdom
• European Union
• Japan
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• United Arab Emirates
• Ukraine
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa

The price is yet to be unveiled by ZTE on its official global website but we expect that to be done before the scheduled shipping date.

As a reminder, the Axon 20 5G packs a 6.92-inch OLED screen that covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports 10-bit color depth. The display also supports a 90Hz high refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and provides a true, unobstructed full-screen view. The display has an FHD+ resolution of 2460×1080 pixels.

Apart from the under-screen camera, the Axon 20 5G also features an ultra-thin design with a thickness of 7.98 mm. The entire smartphone weighs 198 grams, making it relatively light (this can be subjective) and thin to hold. You also get an under-screen speaker and under-screen fingerprint scanner onboard the device.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset fires up the Axon 20 5G. The processor is a 7nm octa-core chipset with a Kryo 475 Prime core (Cortex-A76) clocked at 2.4GHz, a Kryo 475 Gold core (Cortex-A76) clocked at 2.2GHz and six Kryo 475 Silver cores (Cortex-A55) clocked at 1.8GHz.

The processor is paired with 6GB RAM and there is also an 8GB RAM version. The phone comes in 128GB and 256GB storage options. Keeping the lights on is a 4220mAh battery which charges via a USB-C port. The phone supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ and supports 30W fast-charging.

The rear panel of the Axon 20 5G is made of high-hardness 3D curved glass with a ten-layer structure stack design. The panel is coated using vacuum optical coating thus forming a nano-level streamer illusion texture. The back houses a Quad camera setup stacked at the upper left corner. The sensors include a 64MP Ultra-high pixel main camera. There is also an 8MP 120-degree ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP depth of field lens, and a 2MP macro lens.

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Realme X7 Pro went official as one of the most affordable flagship killers of 2020. The handset packs one of the most powerful chipsets of the year but it is not made by Qualcomm: we are talking about the Dimensity 1000+ which allowed Realme to set a very affordable price for this handset. But the Realme X7 Pro is not the only phone with this SoC launched this year: there is Redmi K30 Ultra as well, in the same price range. That is why we decided to make a comparison between them and, for those who still do not trust MediaTek’s new flagship chipsets, we also brought the latest device launched with a Qualcomm SoC in the same price range: the ZTE Axon 20 5G.

Realme X7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra vs ZTE Axon 20 5G

Design

ZTE Axon 20 5G is a very innovative device and it is the first smartphone to offer a full-screen experience while still including a selfie camera on the front panel. Indeed, the ZTE Axon 20 5G is the first phone with an under-display camera: a technology which is still not perfect on this device, but it provides a full-screen display while keeping a very thin body. The handset is also built with premium materials, including a glass back and an aluminum frame. The Redmi K30 Ultra has a full-screen display too, but it sports a motorized pop-up camera. The Realme X7 Pro has a punch-hole design.

Display

On the paper, the most convincing display belongs to the Redmi K30 Ultra which is equipped with an AMOLED panel sporting a 120 Hz refresh rate and the HDR10+ certification. Right after, we got the Realme X7 Pro which has a 120 Hz AMOLED display as well. but the ZTE Axon 20 5G offers an important advantage besides the under-display front camera: it has one of the widest panels ever seen on a phone, with a 6.92-inch diagonal. All of the devices feature a Full HD+ resolution.

Specs & Software

Realme X7 Pro and Redmi K30 Ultra are both equipped with the flagship-class Dimensity 1000+ chipset: in order to give you an idea, AnTuTu places this SoC in the middle between Snapdragon 855+ and Snapdragon 865. You probably understood that it is a more powerful chipset than the Snapdragon 765G found on the ZTE Axon 20 5G. And, obviously, it supports 5G networks. Redmi K30 Ultra and Realme X7 Pro feature up to 8 GB of RAM, but the former has up to 512 GB of native storage, while Realme X7 Pro stops at 256 GB. With the ZTE Axon 20 5G you get max 256 GB, but it is the only one with a micro SD slot. Android 10 is installed out of the box and customized by custom UIs.

Camera

The Redmi K30 Ultra looks like the device with the best rear camera capabilities because it has better secondary sensors on the rear side. We are talking about a 13 MP ultrawide lens and a 5 MP telephoto macro sensor. But when it comes to the front camera, ZTE Axon 20 5G (and Realme X7 Pro) are definitely better. Realme X7 Pro and ZTE Axon 20 5G have a very similar rear camera department, with just the ultrawide sensor being slightly different.

Battery

Realme X7 Pro and Redmi K30 Ultra have a bigger 4500 mAh battery than the ZTE Axon 20 5G. Given that they have the same chipset and the same refresh rate, it is hard to understand which one will last more on a single charge without testing them thoroughly. But note that Realme X7 Pro has a faster charging technology with a 65W power.

Price

Realme X7 Pro and ZTE Axon 20 5G are both priced about €270/$320 in China, while Redmi K30 Ultra starts from €329/$389. The differences between Realme X7 Pro and Redmi K30 Ultra are so marginal that it is not worth spending €50/$70 more for the Redmi K30 Ultra. The Redmi K30 Ultra has the best secondary rear cameras and HDR10+, but Realme X7 Pro has faster charging and a better front camera, as well as a sleeker design, imho. With those price tags, unless the design is your main concern, I think there is actually no reason to go for the ZTE Axon 20 5G.

• Read More: Redmi K30 Ultra 100,000 units sold out within a minute in its first sale in China

Realme X7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra vs ZTE Axon 20 5G: PRO and CONS

Realme X7 Pro

PROS

• 120 Hz AMOLED display
• Stereo speakers
• Very fast charging
• More compact

CONS

• Nothing particular

ZTE Axon 20 5G

PROS

• Great materials
• Under-display front camera
• Very wide display
• Micro SD slot

CONS

• Inferior hardware

Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra

PROS

• AMOLED 120 Hz display
• Good rear cameras
• Nice materials
• Stereo speakers

CONS

• Inferior front camera

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ZTE revealed a couple of weeks back that it will launch a smartphone equipped with an under-display fingerprint sensor. Later on, details emerged that the phone will adopt the moniker Axon 20 5G and we also saw some of the details and renders via leaks and teasers. True to its word, the company has gone official with the Axon 20 5G. The smartphone comes as the world’s first under-display camera phone.

Axon 20 5G: Specs & Features

The Axon 20 5G’s main selling point is definitely the under-display camera which it packs and that has a high influence on the display design. The Axon 20 5G packs a 6.92-inch OLED screen that covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports 10-bit color depth. The display also supports a 90Hz high refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and provides a true, unobstructed full-screen view. The display has an FHD+ resolution of 2460×1080 pixels.

ZTE says it was able to achieve the under-screen camera design by deploying five core technologies, including special materials, dual-control chips, unique driver circuits, a special pixel matrix, and an in-house selfie algorithm. With these technologies, ZTE was able to overcome numerous technical challenges during research and development.

The company also uses a high-transparency material for the display that balances the performance of the display and the front camera. The material includes new organic and inorganic films, thereby improving the light input of the display area to the front camera.

Moreover, a built-in independent dual-control chip and integrated driver circuits have been employed to enable the color synchronization between the front camera and the conventional display. In addition, a unique driver circuit layout design and precision miniaturization components have been used to avoid interference, and restrain the impact on the front camera. ZTE also created a special matrix that can optimize pixels and improve display consistency, thereby creating a more natural transition. The technology sounds similar to Xiaomi’s own under-display camera solution.

Furthermore, ZTE’s front-camera selfie algorithm has optimized the performance of the camera under several lighting conditions. It also supports automatic dynamic range adjustment, hence the great improvement of the photo clarity and the image contrast.

Apart from the under-screen camera, the Axon 20 5G also features an ultra-thin design with a thickness of 7.98 mm. The entire smartphone weighs 198 grams, making it relatively light (this can be subjective) and thin to hold. You also get an under-screen speaker and under-screen fingerprint scanner onboard the device.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset fires up the Axon 20 5G. The mid-range SoC has become quite popular with many Chinese smartphone brands with models such as the Mi 10 Lite 5G, Redmi K30i 5G, OPPO Reno 4/4 Pro, OnePlus Nord, Nubia Red Magic 5G Lite, and several others utilizing the chipset. The processor is a 7nm octa-core chipset with a Kryo 475 Prime core (Cortex-A76) clocked at 2.4GHz, a Kryo 475 Gold core (Cortex-A76) clocked at 2.2GHz and six Kryo 475 Silver cores (Cortex-A55) clocked at 1.8GHz.

The processor is paired with 6GB RAM and there is also an 8GB RAM version. The phone comes in 128GB and 256GB storage options.

The rear panel of the Axon 20 5G is made of high-hardness 3D curved glass with a ten-layer structure stack design. The panel is coated using vacuum optical coating thus forming a nano-level streamer illusion texture. The back houses a Quad camera setup stacked at the upper left corner. The sensors include a 64MP Ultra-high pixel main camera. There is also an 8MP 120-degree ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP depth of field lens, and a 2MP macro lens.

Further, the ZTE Axon 20 5G is equipped with as many as 12 antennas, 3-4 more antennas than those of other suppliers. It adopts a 360-degree surround integrated design. The 12 antennas are intelligently arranged around the mobile phone, and each has its own functions. The phone comes with dual-band 5G. When the mobile network environment becomes weak and the network speed of a 5G card is too slow, ZTE Axon 20’s unique network detection algorithm can intelligently identify and automatically switch wireless data services to the second 5G SIM instantly, realizing 5G dual-card seamless switch to ensure smooth networking.

Keeping the lights on is a 4220mAh battery which charges via a USB-C port. The phone supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ and supports 30W fast-charging.

Pricing & Availability

As for the pricing, ZTE Axon 20 5G 6GB + 128GB variant starts at 2198 yuan ($322). The 8GB+128GB version is priced at 2498 yuan (~$366) while the 8GB + 256GB option goes for 2798 yuan (~$410). The phone is presently on pre-order and will go on sale on September 10 in China.

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Smartphone manufacturers have been working on under-display camera technology for years, and now it is ready for a commercial launch. ZTE is all set to launch the world’s first in-display camera smartphone in a couple of days.

Now, ahead of the launch, ZTE has confirmed that the upcoming Axon 20 5G smartphone is using third-generation in-display camera sensor technology. As per the report, this was confirmed by ZTE’s executive Lv Qianhao in response to a user’s question on Weibo.

In this technology, only two-thousandth of the entire screen is used for the camera sensor behind the display, which is just about a small square-inch. The company adds that its Research & Development team managed to achieve the desired output after working day and night to fine-tune the technology.

Furthermore, the screen is also divided into seven different layers — cover glass, polarizer, encapsulation glass, cathode, OLED, array, and substrate glass. It has been given an anti-reflective treatment to maximize transparency and suppress optical diffraction.

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ZTE’s confirmation about using third-generation in-display camera technology comes at a time when Xiaomi has also showcased its own third-gen tech. It revealed the technology showcasing a working prototype and detailed the improvements. It utilizes a self-developed pixel arrangement and achieves light transmittance through the sub-pixel gap area. The company said that the tech is ready for mass-production and will be in the market in 2021.

As per the reports, the ZTE Axon 20 5G smartphone features a 6.92-inch OLED display with a screen resolution of 2460 x 1080 pixels without any kind of notch. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G along with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

On the back, the device has a quad-camera setup that includes a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP secondary sensor, and two other 2MP sensors. On the front side, it is equipped with a 32MP snapper for taking selfies and video calling. The device is expected to be available in four color options — Black Hole Gravity, Streamer Sea Salt, Phantom Orange Wind, and Purple Moon. To know more about the phone, it’s pricing and availability details, we will have to wait for the official launch on 1st September, just a couple of days from today.

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Earlier this week, ZTE officially announced to launch the world’s first under-display camera smartphone called Axon 20 5G on September 1. Since then, the company has been teasing this handset with promos and renders. One of the firm’s executives has now revealed some tidbits regarding the development of this phone to the Chinese media.

Lu Qianhao, Director of Consumer Experience at ZTE told Chinese media (via MyDrivers) that they spent more than 20 months in R&D to give birth to ZTE Axon 20 5G. He admitted that under-display camera technology is extremely difficult, complex, and expensive to achieve.

Back in June, Brian Shen, Vice President of OPPO also made a similar statement. He mentioned the development phase as a “tortuous path”. And even asked people to not expect good quality images from the first-gen products. But he did say that one day, this tech will be perfected with incremental improvements.

It is rumored that OPPO is not satisfied with the picture quality of the under-display cameras yet even though they were the first to showcase it publicly in December 2019 at OPPO INNO DAY conference in Shenzhen, China.

On the other hand, Ni Fei, President of ZTE Mobile Devices said that they carried out a blind selfie camera test for Axon 20 5G and the participants did not find any issue with image quality.

Having said that, the upcoming ZTE Axon 20 5G is rumoured to feature Visionox OLED panel for the under-display camera solution. Earlier in July, news broke out that the display manufacturer had shipped $500 million worth of this type of panels to Huawei and Xiaomi.

Interestingly, the world’s first under-display camera smartphone will not be a flagship. According to TENAA, the Axon 20 5G will be powered by the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset. But due to that selfie camera, the phone may be priced higher than other normal 5G handsets with this very same silicon.

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