Xiaomi details how in-display camera works

Main Image
  • Like
  • Comment
  • Share

Just hours after the Oppo’s disclosure of its under-display camera, Xiaomi president Lin Bin took to Twitter and Weibo to show its 20MP in-display camera solution. The description notes shared by the company also briefs the technology behind.

ALSO READ: Apple WWDC 2019 Preview: 7 Things to expect

In the video posted, we see a new Xiaomi Mi 9 variant with a front facing camera embedded entirely beneath the phone’s screen. So, unlike any previous notch, punch-hole, and other cutout implementations, this one stays hidden.

ALSO READ: LG Stylo 5 Shows up on global network certification website

How does Xiaomi under screen selfie camera work?

To make in-display camera possible, Xiaomi uses a transparent OLED display (or rather a part of the AMOLED panel directly above the selfie camera is transparent).

Transparent OLED displays or T-OLEDs have been around for many years now and manufacturers like Samsung and LG have been actively showing off up to 55″ transparent OLED TVs at CES.

Samsung even had plans to start mass producing transparent OLED displays in 2016 but canceled them because there wasn’t much demand and very few applications.

Well, now that our smartphones are going “true fullscreen”, these transparent OLED screens can be put to good use.

The thing about these Transparent OLEDs is that all of their internal components are transparent. There are transparent LCD displays too, but for transparent OLEDs the transmittance is better and the technology is easier to engineer.

As Xiaomi details in its social media posts, the Anode, cathode, substrate and the organic luminescent materials in between are all transparent. In regular use, the current will flow from Anode to Cathode (direction of electrons being the reverse) and Organic material in between would fire up to emit light (this is a crude explanation that oversimplifies things, but you get the idea).

The camera will be placed underneath the display (under all these layers) and when needed, the display area overlaying the selfie camera will turn off. Transparent OLEDs are transparent in their off state, and with OLEDs, its easy to turn off a selective area on the screen. Once the screen goes transparent, the camera will be able to gather light.

Xiaomi Under-display camera
Transparent display technology

This display is custom made using a special low-reflective glass with high-transmittance. However, when not in camera mode, the display behaves normally to present your content in full without any interruption or cutout.

So, the transparent display acts as a camera lens. Xiaomi claims this application allows more light to enter. Ergo, it should be capable of producing clearer and crispier selfies. However, we could be confident of Xiaomi’s claims when the device hits the market.

When will we see in-display or under-display cameras in phones?

Xiaomi and Oppo have already demonstrated the technology on social media, so it could be very far off. Samsung already has talked about the technology being part of its 2020 roadmap, and the company is still working on perfecting the camera performance.

So we might see the first set of hushed up under screen camera phones by the end of this year, but expect the tech to mature only next year or in 2020.

Vasan G.S.Vasan G.S.
An inquisitive mind who spends a big chunk of the day keenly tracking every emerging detail and is responsible for quickly passing on important developments to Smartprix followers. He loves to stay in his bubble scripting his destiny involving amazing technology and people with good character, passion, and brilliance.

Related Articles

ImageGoogle Pixel 8a Roundup: Tensor G3 SoC, 120Hz Display, 64MP Primary Camera, And More

Google Pixel phones are known for providing next-level camera quality, a clean Android experience, and robust build quality. Last year, the California-based tech giant unveiled the Pixel 8 series, powered by the much-improved Tensor G3 SoC. Comprised of two smartphones—the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro—the series also provides many AI-based features.However, considering …

ImageXiaomi 12S Series gets a launch date: Read on to know more

Xiaomi is all set to launch its much anticipated 12S Series of smartphones in China. Xiaomi 12S Series will contain Xiaomi 12S, Xiaomi 12S Pro, and Xiaomi 12S Ultra models. The series will launch in China on the 4th of July and the teaser for the same has gone live online. Xiaomi has recently entered …

ImageXiaomi 11T, 11T Pro, and 11 Lite 5G NE go official: Read on to know the details

Xiaomi has announced a wide range of its new products for the global markets today. These include Xiaomi Pad 5 and a new range of smartphones. The smartphone range includes Xiaomi 11T, 11T Pro, and 11 Lite 5G NE. Let us have a look at what’s new. Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G …

ImageVivo X100 Pro+ Display And Camera Details Leaked

After dropping the Vivo X100 and the Vivo X100 Pro, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is planning to drop the Vivo X100 Pro+. The smartphone will feature top-of-the-line specifications, including 2K resolution, a one-inch camera, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The Vivo X100 Pro+ Could Feature A Samsung E7 AMOLED Screen According to known Chinese …

ImageRedmi A3 With 90Hz Display, Dual-Camera Setup, And 5,000 mAh Battery Launched In India

The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has launched another budget smartphone in its famous Redmi A series – Redmi A3. The smartphone is priced below Rs. 10,000. It offers a large 90Hz screen, runs on an octa-core processor, and ships in different RAM and storage variants. Here’s everything we know about the newly launched Redmi A3. …

Discuss

Be the first to leave a comment.