Xiaomi has also confirmed that it is scheduled to mass-produce smartphones with the new camera technology in 2021.
The novelty of the game-changing under-screen camera technology introduced by ZTE recently may still be gaining traction at the moment. Still, Xiaomi couldn’t simply wait to steal its thunder.
Xiaomi phones with under-screen cameras set to release in 2021
Xiaomi has revealed that it now plans to release smartphones equipped with its under-screen camera technology in 2021. To hype this up, the Chinese smartphone giant detailed its third-generation under-screen camera innovation, alongside its plans on its future devices.
In a short clip shared by Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun, the firm’s under-screen camera technology can be seen in a smartphone prototype that appears to be a modified Mi 10 Ultra with its DotDrop panel. The video compares the two devices, with the Ultra phone toting around a single front-facing camera housed in a display cutout.
Another highlight in the video is the prototype’s increased display pixel density above its selfie camera. This is purportedly made intentional to hide the camera underneath the display completely.
How does Xiaomi’s third-gen under-screen camera work?
Xiaomi shared that the “breakthrough” camera technology should allow its users to feel the “ultimate form of full-screen” experience. It added that the soon-to-be-commercial invention would be able to disguise the selfie camera under the phone’s front panel entirely, barring any interruption to the display effect.
The new camera technology uses a self-developed pixel arrangement. The system allows the screen to pass light between the gaps of the sub-pixels, enabling every pixel on the panel to retain a complete RGB sub-pixel layout. Note that this is without the usual compromise on pixel density.
Consequently, this should achieve the same pixel density on the display area, which houses the camera and the rest of the screen’s real estate.
Xiaomi’s third-generation under-screen camera technology also utilizes a compelling circuit design developed to increase the transmission of light right under-the-screen camera section. With these in-house camera optimizations, the said technology should be akin to conventional cameras.
Already on the radar
Xiaomi has already been on the under-screen camera technology race since 2019. In June last year, the company developed its first take on the competition, with its prototype subsequently leaking via a video online. The rendition, however, still had some kinks in it.
The company’s second-generation under-screen camera technology, on the other hand, was engineered in Oct. 2019.
Images courtesy of Xiaomi /YouTube Screenshot