Xiaomi vs Oppo: Brands preview the next big innovation for smartphones

Bye, bye notch.

Xiaomi, Oppo showcase under-display camera phones (Oppo)

Brands are experimenting with different display formats that can deliver maximum edge-to-edge experience without having a distracting notch or punch-hole cameras on the front. One of the popular workarounds is motorised pop-up selfie cameras, as seen in OnePlus 7 Pro. Now, Oppo and Xiaomi have figured a new way to achieve the edge-to-edge screen - tugging camera under the display.

Oppo on Monday gave a sneak peek at its upcoming smartphone that has a notchless screen. The video shows the phone launching front camera but with no visible camera sensor on the front. Hours later Xiaomi showed off its upcoming phone with under-display camera.

Both Oppo and Xiaomi phones are said to be prototypes of an upcoming model which could be commercially launched by end of this year.

 Under-display camera vs punch-hole camera

Samsung (Galaxy S10) and Huawei (Honor View20) earlier this year introduced their own versions of notchless phones. The two phones, however, came with a punch-hole camera on the display. The setup allows the phone screen to offer higher screen-to-body ratio but it remains visible across the UI and applications.

Punch-hole cameras have become pretty much accepted but industry experts have expressed concerns over deteriorating quality of such screens after longer period of usage. Under-display cameras can very well address this concern.

Not much is known about the functionality of these under-display cameras but a recent Xiaomi patent gives an idea how it might work. According to the patent, the Xiaomi phone uses alternately-driven display portions which enable the screen to allow light pass through to the front-facing camera sensor.

Oppo VP Brian Shen said that the technology is still under trials. "At this stage, it's difficult for under-display cameras to match the same results as normal cameras, there's bound to be some loss in optical quality. But, no new technology jumps to perfection right away," he said in Weibo post.