For months we've been hearing about Xiaomi working on underscreen camera technology. Now, the Chinese tech giant has finally unveiled a tech-integrated smartphone.
In a video titled "Xiaomi's 3rd Generation Sub-Screen Camera," the company showcases two smartphones side-by-side; one with a perforated display and another with a full screen display. At the beginning, Xiaomi shows the user experience that one would get using a smartphone without a hole-punch camera. But at the end of the video, we finally see the under-screen camera in action.
In June of last year, Xiaomi Chairman Lin Bin released a functional demo of under-screen camera technology. Since then, the company has refined its technology. In October, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced the second generation. It looks like Xiaomi has finally solved all the issues with the 3rd generation of its under-screen camera system.
In one blog post, Xiaomi said it has "greatly improved the full screen effect with a self-developed pixel layout and optimization of the camera algorithm, allowing it to display the same performance as conventional front cameras."
The Chinese tech giant has said that smartphones with an under-screen camera module will enter mass production in 2021. In other words, we can expect Xiaomi's "true full-screen" smartphones. will be on the market next year.
Interestingly, Xiaomi isn't the only one trying to get the upper hand on what appears to be the next big trend in the smartphone market. Last year, Oppo showed promising results with a demo of a smartphone running an under-screen camera. However, it wasn't nearly perfect. Engadget said the Oppo prototype had "room for improvement in terms of color clarity and accuracy".
Meanwhile, ZTE last week shared renderings of its "ZTE Axon 20 5G" underscreen camera smartphone, which the company plans to launch in China next month.
Huge competition is developing in screen camera technology. It will be interesting to see how the new tech trend plays out in the future.