Pushing Boundaries: Under Display Camera

Taking photos seems like a natural part of life today, it is our way of expressing ourselves and capturing our most valuable memories. If you asked anyone 15 years ago what a selfie was, they would have no idea. Technology has changed our vocabulary and our lifestyle by introducing us to the idea of taking a picture from the front of your device. Afterwards, we introduced the idea of a notch which eliminated the home button to allow for more space for the display and the punchole to give even more display space to the front of the device. The pop up camera was also seen as a solution to provide more display space to the front of the device by allowing the camera to mechanically appear from the top of the device to use the front facing camera. To us naturally the next step is to see how we can make the experience of the front facing camera an even better by introducing the under camera display.

Discovering The Benefits

There are many benefits from the under display camera. First is eliminating obstructions like punch holes or notches to make it full display. By achieving a full display uninterrupted by punch holes and notches, you can enjoy the full vision of the screen. This is especially important with the Axon 20 5G as the aspect ratio of the screen perfectly matches any movie or tv show you plan to stream on it. Secondly is the pop up camera which also has its own issues too. The most obvious problem is that pop up cameras make the device more bulk and heavy that makes it much harder to carry than devices without them, but also an additional issue that comes with a pop up camera is the mechanics that make the camera move will wear out over time that means it will no longer be usable. By not needing a pop up camera in the Axon 20 5G, you eliminate unnecessary weight and bulk while not needing to worry about the gradual wearing of moving components.

Journey Under The Display

To achieve the next big feat of developing the under display camera many different things were needed to be achieved in order to overcome the challenge. Here is a list of important stages that were taken to refine the concept as it is in the Axon 20 5G.

The Screen - Analysing the structure of the screen was an important step. It is made up of many layers to allow it to do all the tasks it needs to do on a regular basis. The composition of the screen was developed with layers that include Transparent Cathode, Special OLED and Transparent Matrix to provide the right amount of high transparency. This is to improve light intake for the front facing camera while under the display.

Chip/Circuit - It is important that there is technology inside specifically created for the camera to be optimised to the conditions of being under the screen. The independent control chip and integrated driver synchronize the display and camera so that the section of the display above the camera separate from the remaining part of the display to allow and maintain the display’s high performance.

Pixel Arrangement - While we discuss the display, pixel count also plays a big role in the development of the technology. There is a much lower pixel count in the small section located above the camera to assist with the transparency so it can appear to the camera nothing is blocking its view.

Algorithm - Even after the huddle of making the screen transparent enough for the camera to view few, there is still the issue of camera focus. As there are additional layers over the camera than what it typically would, there would still be the issue of blurry images. AI software helps to alleviate this issue by ensuring that the camera is properly focused, even when dealing with the additional screen layers that cameras never usually cover them.

A Reflection On The Past

Even though we have evolved since the days when front facing cameras were introduced to smartphones, it is important to show appreciation to the technologies that have come before. They were the stepping stones which paved the path to what we enjoy today and this fundamental foundation helped us to introduce to you the under display camera.