OnePlus patents a selfie camera small enough to fit in a modern smartphone's bezel

Punch-hole selfie cameras: love them or hate them, they have become the most common way to maximize screen real estate in smartphones since the market's demands pushed display bezels to the point at which they can barely accommodate front-facing sensors.

The only true alternative to the punch-hole is under-display camera tech; however, there is only 1 phone in the world that delivers it at present, and, according to some of its reviews, could still use some work.

Therefore, the OEM OnePlus has come up with an alternative. It is a selfie camera that is not in or under the display at all, but can be housed in a razor-thin border instead. This new kind of sensor, described in a patent submitted to the Chinese IP office CNIPA, seems to be much smaller than the average selfie shooter so as to achieve this placement.

This same piece of engineering is ostensibly based on a large connector for this camera to the main board. One end is depicted as too wide for the phone in question; however, it can fold back on itself so as to fit into the phone.

It seems to be compatible with flat or curved screens, and might thus result in phones with barely-noticeable bezels and otherwise uninterrupted displays.

This patent appears to build on OnePlus' sister company OPPO's earlier work on a selfie camera that also blends into an uniform smartphone bezel, albeit not quite as effectively. Therefore, it might feature in future devices from either brand.

However, as this new patent was only just granted on February 4, 2021, the upcoming 9 flagship series are unfortunately unlikely candidates for this new design.

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