Xiaomi today introduced its third-generation under-display smartphone camera technology, which the company says is the best solution for under-screen cameras, with perfect display and selfies. The first generation of under-screen camera technology that was introduced in June 2019 with transparent cathode and anode materials laid the foundation for the subsequent development of under-screen camera technology, said the CEO Lei Jun.
The second generation under-screen camera technology was introduced in October 2019. The third-generation under-screen camera technology has full-pixel display and pixel-gap imaging, achieving a balance between perfect display and improved selfie performance.
In the third generation, the OLED screen is almost opaque. To achieve transparency, a special pixel arrangement has been adopted in the camera area under the screen, which allows the screen to pass light through the gap area of sub-pixels.
Regarding this, Xiaomi said:
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.
We’re proud to present the latest masterpiece from our Xiaomi engineers: 3rd Generation Under-Display Camera Technology! True full-screen displays are just around the corner! We’re planning on putting this into mass production next year. Stay tuned! #InnovationForEveryone pic.twitter.com/DrKeL8wZUg
— Shou Zi Chew (@ShouZiChew) August 28, 2020
Due to new pixel arrangement scheme, Xiaomi’s third-generation under-screen cameras 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 camera optimization algorithm, the under-screen camera achieves almost the same imaging performance as any other front camera.
Xiaomi says that the 3rd generation under-screen camera technology is ready to enter the mass production next year, so we can see smartphones with this tech in 2021.