This could be Xiaomi’s first smartphone with an in-display camera

We’ve been hearing about under-screen cameras ever since both Xiaomi and Oppo showed off their individual prototypes last year. The battle has always been incorporating a notch-killer selfie camera design.

Put in the continuous shift that smartphone OEMs have had to adjust to consumer demands while staying on the trend with the next breakthrough with camera design and placement, from foldables to pop-ups and even a rotating tech camera…

We’ve all seen major success and outright fails!!!

However, the under-screen tech still remains elusive and has not seen a commercial launch.

Now, a new patent have emerged online giving us our first look at what Xiaomi’s under-screen camera phone could possibly look like.

Discovered by LetsGoDigital , the approved design patent details a phone with a flat screen and thin edges, much like the Xiaomi Mi 9 from last year, though it doesn’t adopt the curved edge look we’ve seen on the latest Mi 10 flagships.

The top edge of the phone houses the call receiver. Meanwhile, the under-screen camera could be placed on the top left or the middle (see patent diagram below).

Image credits: LetsGoDigital

Elsewhere, a vertically aligned triple camera setup is seen on the back panel of the phone. This doesn’t necessarily mean that if and when Xiaomi makes an under-screen camera phone, it’ll have to house three rear cameras.

Xiaomi already uses a quad camera setup on the Mi 10 and could possibly stick to a similar setup on a new flagship. Then again, it could also debut this new design on a mid-range phone with three cameras.

According to the patent, when the selfie snapper is in use, the screen area becomes transparent and illuminates showing the lens underneath much like OnePlus Concept phone launched early this year

Remember…

When it’s not in use, the display goes back to normal and allows for a full-screen experience, much like what you get on phones with pop-up cameras.

As is the deal with most patent releases, the Xiaomi phone described herein might not result in a real product.

Unless Xiaomi makes significant improvements to the tech in the next few months post Covid-19, we doubt we’ll get to see under-screen cameras on Xiaomi or Redmi phones anytime soon.

Originally Posted On NaijaTechGuy