Xiaomi could beat Samsung in producing a full-screen smartphone with an under-display camera

The next smartphone OEM race is likely to involve creating a true full-screen smartphone that doesn’t rely on pop-up cameras or other external mechanical solutions for the selfie camera. Many observers seem to believe that Samsung will be the first to bring under-display cameras to smartphones, possibly in the Galaxy Note 10 or more likely with the Galaxy S11.

However, it seems Xiaomi is also in the running to produce the first marketable full-screen smartphone with an under-display camera. The patent for the device in question, spotted by Chinese website ITHome, offers a few technical drawings and a brief description. It appears that the Xiaomi smartphone will somehow use two separate screens to solve the under-display camera problem.

It’s difficult to fully understand the Chinese description, although it seems that the under-display camera in Xiaomi’s concept smartphone would interact with both screens. The selfie camera is hidden under the first display when not in use and then becomes visible when in operation. This means that when the front-facing camera isn’t required, the Xiaomi smartphone would offer its user a full-screen device free of unsightly notches and screen-to-body-ratio destroying punch-holes.