Xiaomi third-gen under-screen selfie camera tech to debut in 2021

It is no coincidence that Xiaomi has made an announcement regarding the launch of what it is calling its third-generation under-screen selfie camera technology just a few days ahead of the official unveiling of the ZTE Axon 20 5G. The ZTE smartphone will claim the crown for the first smartphone to ship with an under-display selfie camera next week although Xiaomi’s announcement is meant to imply that ZTE’s tech is the equivalent of its second-generation technology at best.

Xioami explains its technology:

The self-developed pixel arrangement used in Xiaomi’s 3rd Generation Under-Display Camera Technology allows the screen to pass light through the gap area of ​​sub-pixels, allowing each single pixel to retain a complete RGB subpixel layout without sacrificing pixel density. Compared with other common solutions on the market, Xiaomi has doubled the number of horizontal and vertical pixels, achieving the same pixel density above the camera as on the rest of the display area. Thus, the area above the integrated camera demonstrates the same brightness, color gamut and color accuracy as the rest of the display.

Based on the brand new pixel arrangement solution, Xiaomi’s 3rd Generation Under-Display Camera also adopts a special circuit design to hide more components under the RGB sub-pixels to further increase the light transmittance of the under-screen camera area. Combined with Xiaomi`s self-developed optimization algorithm, the new under-display camera offers a fully updated photography experience, matching the imaging performance of conventional front cameras.

Even if Xiaomi’s technology is better, the launch of the ZTE Axon 20 5G next week heralds a time when the stuff of sci-fi dreams is starting to become an everyday reality. Under-screen selfie-cameras and foldable smartphones have been long-held dreams. It is an exciting time to be a smartphone lover as the technological breakthroughs spawned by healthy competition and rivalry such as this is a “win, win” for customers.