Oppo and Xiaomi demonstrate front camera behind smartphone screen

Oppo and Xiaomi show in a video a working front camera that is integrated in a smartphone behind the screen. The technology means that no notches or folding modules are needed for the front camera.

Oppo demonstrates the operation of the under-display selfie camera in a short video the company publishes on Twitter. First it can be seen that the smartphone displays the image on the full screen. A black bar then appears at the top of the screen and a short animation can be seen of a white circle that appears in the middle, indicating that the camera is processed behind the screen. Finally, a person holds their finger over the camera to prove that it is working. There is still little to say about the quality of the camera.

Xiaomi also shows in a video on Weibo its implementation of a functioning camera behind the screen. The company is showing two versions of the Mi 9, one with a notch for the front camera and one with the sensor behind the screen. The company writes: “No hole, no notch, no pop-up camera.”

The technology ensures that smartphone manufacturers no longer have to reserve cutouts in the top of the screen for the front camera, nor do they have to resort to folding or turning mechanisms, such as Oppo itself with its Reno and Samsung with the Galaxy A80.

There have been indications for some time that several manufacturers are working on under-display cameras. Samsung hinted at the development of the placement of a camera sensor behind the screen last October.

Update, 09.50: Added information about Xiaomi’s images.