Who has the best Under Display Camera technology?

 If you have noticed, a few Android smartphones manufacturers are trying to hide front selfie cameras under the display. In the past few years, we saw some prototypes from brands like OPPO, Xiaomi. Samsung has shown the New Infinity concept at a secret press conference in Korea in 2019. They unveiled a Galaxy A series phone, the A80 carrying the New Infinity display. Although many tech enthusiasts imagined an under-display camera technology, Samsung did not introduce the tech.

Under-Screen camera demo (Image : Xiaomi)

Samsung was trying to introduce its new display technology to a flagship for the past two years. So, rumors of the Galaxy S21 having an under-display camera technology surfaced last year. But they could not finalize the design before the actual launch. As a result, none of the S21 series phones got this tech. Fast forward to last weak people marked the birth of Samsung's new display technology with the Galaxy Fold 3 5G.

Xiaomi and OPPO showed off their under-display technology in 2019. Like Samsung, they also failed to release any product with this technology. Among the Chinese manufacturers, only ZTE came up with a device with this tech. The ZTE Axon 20 5G was dubbed "World's first phone with an under-display camera." This title did not increase their sale number. But, they got exposure in the smartphone world from this release.

This year Xiaomi is releasing its flagship Mi Mix 4 with an under-display camera. ZTE is also coming back with the Axon 30 5G. Last but not least, we have the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G from Samsung. Although all three of them are in different categories, the core idea of their under-display camera is the same. Let's, how good are these under-display cameras.

Samsung Galaxy Z fold 3 5G

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is a new foldable from a leading smartphone manufacturer. They announced it on the 11th of August. Among the most stand-out features, Samsung showed the under-display camera in their virtual event.

New Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G (Image : Samsung)

It is a first-generation product from them. So, you cannot expect too much from this camera. Samsung did not try to improve the Z Fold 3's camera hardware at all. They used the same setup as the Z Fold 2's camera. The back houses a triple 12MP camera setup. Then you get a 10MP selfie snapper in the front. This camera sits in a hole-punch at the top of the outside display.

The Z Fold 3 5G's under-display camera is only visible when you tilt the phone at an angle (Image : PhoneArena)

The inside selfie camera has under-display camera tech built-in. According to Samsung, it has a 16MP resolution. There is a Pixel-Binning technology baked in to sense more light. Therefore, the Fold 3 5G can only provide 4MP photos and videos. The image coming out of this camera look like they are from a VGA camera. Your nostalgia might increase with this camera experience.

Selfie from the UPC (Under Panel Camera) of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G (Image : PhoneArena)

The Fold 3 produces decent looking selfies with its UPC (Image : PhoneArena)

Eric Zeman from Android Authority took some hazy selfies from the UPC of the Fold 3 5G (Image : AndroidAuthority)

Another hazy gloomy selfie from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G (Image : GizmoAfrica)

In defense of Samsung, it is their first get under-screen camera technology. So, you cannot expect too much from it. If they put more research into it, the next generation of under-display cameras will be better. Samsung will need an advanced camera algorithm to bump up the sharpness and color calibration. With the help of computational photography, they can increase the camera quality.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 4

A day earlier than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G event Xiaomi announced their latest flagship smartphone, the Mi Mix 4. It is said to endeavor an under-screen camera from Xiaomi. In 2019 Xiaomi and OPPO both demoed a concept phone carrying this technology. Back then, both concepts were at the alpha stage. So, they could not deliver the best quality outputs from their under-display cameras. Xiaomi seems to spend more time and effort on the development of this camera. 

They have redesigned the subpixel design arrays. They have diamond pixels for better transparency. Along with the new pixel design, they are using transparent subpixels in front of the camera housing. And to accommodate everything, they have redesigned the display circuit array. Combining everything, they have promised to offer better transparency than their competitors.

New Micro-diamond Pixel design of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 display (Image : Xiaomi)

Xiaomi used transparent subpixels in the Mi Mix 4's display (Image :Xiaomi)

Redesigned circuit array for the new transparent display in the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 (Image : Xiaomi)

Xiaomi seems to focus more on the display transparency rather than the camera quality. That does not mean they are not trying with the Mi Mix 4's camera. They are sure to offer their proprietary Pixel-Binning Technology to increase light sensitivity. If they choose a 4MP camera setup like Samsung, it will be a disaster for the Xiaomi fans.

Xiaomi's USC (Under-Screen Camera) prototype from 2019 (Image : Google)

Judging by the prototype from 2019, Xiaomi might have an improved camera in their Mi Mix 4. As we do not have any samples from this phone, its selfie quality is hard to judge. If they can offer a decent picture quality from the selfie camera, it will be a new selling point of the Xiaomi flagships. Unfortunately, we have to wait till this phone is globally available.

ZTE Axon 30 5G

Last year ZTE took the crown of the world's first under-screen camera phone with the Axon 20 5G. It was a first-generation product from this Chinese company. So, the phone could not output good quality selfies from the front camera. The display could not cover the camera housing either. If you tilted the phone a little, a small rectangle is visible. Especially in a white scene, the display portion in front of the camera housing seemed cheap.

The front camera housing of the ZTE Axon 30 5G is barely noticeable when the display is on (Image : ZTE)

This year ZTE brought the Axon 30 5G with the mid-range class specifications. But, they are offering an improved display this time. It covers the camera better than the Axon 20's display. Then it also provides better quality images and videos than the Axon 20 5G. Although the Axon 30's selfies look gloomy, it is sharper than the last year's offering.

ZTE Axon 30 5G's selfie sample from their press release (Image : ZTE)

Tech reviewers are admiring the selfie quality of this phone. Very few individuals got their hands on this device. So, we only found the official selfie showed at the launch event of Axon 30 5G. 

The Axon 30's UDC (Under Display Camera) sample from twitter (Image : @rudhranandu)

If you look at this selfie, it seems promising. It is also better than Samsung's 4MP under-display selfies. The sharpness is respectable as well as color reproduction is better. It resembles, ZTE is heading in the right direction with its technology. If they keep pushing, the best under-screen camera phone title will be theirs.

OPPO's next Find X phone

OPPO showed its concept of the under-display camera back in 2019. Compared to Xiaomi's, it was better in the picture quality. The sharpness of OPPO's camera was far better than the Xiaomi prototype. On the other hand, it produced better color contrast through an OLED display. 

Selfie sample from the OPPO prototype from 2019 (Image : OPPO)

OPPO told the press that they used an advanced algorithm to boost up the post-processing. When the journalists handed the prototype, they could feel the delay. The phone took some time to improve picture quality after taking a snap. It could not save the photos right away. As a result, the selfie camera experience was a little bit dull.

OPPO's Advance algorithm has superior post processing potential for their USC (Under-Screen Camera) (Image : OPPO)

But, it was more than two years ago when OPPO showed the prototype. Now, Qualcomm has the Snapdragon 888. It has multiple hexagonal ISPs. So, a phone with this SoC can process numerous information at once while taking a photo. If OPPO can harness this power for their under-display camera, they will release the Find X4 series with it. This phone might release in March of 2022. So, there is time for OPPO to develop its under-display camera technology.

Conclusion

Every device mentioned in this feature has a difference. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is a premium flagship. A significant number of consumers cannot buy this phone. Moreover, it also does not offer good selfies for being a sub $2000 foldable. Instead of taking a 4MP selfie, you should use the 10MP outside selfie camera. Or you can use the main cameras in conjunction with the outside display. But it does not justify the reason for having a camera under the inside screen.

Xiaomi has only launched its Mi Mix 4 in China. It has a retail price starting from 4,999 RMB ($772). The global version of this phone might start from $1000. This price tag is also not acceptable for most consumers. Unlike Samsung's Fold 3 5G, more people can experience the under-screen camera technology of this phone. When it releases globally, we can review the selfie quality. Until then, we must wait patiently. 

ZTE is the safest player with its Axon 30 5G. They gave this phone a mid-range level specification with the Snapdragon 870 with 8GB of RAM. Thus this phone has the 5G network technology built into the SoC. So, ZTE is getting the marketing benefit. At the same time, ZTE is offering this phone with a sub $300 price tag. More people can get their hands on this device. 

This phone has a good quality front camera under the display. It is at least considerable due to the price of this phone. Moreover, ZTE has put some effort into hiding the camera under the screen. It is overall a solid package for you.

We are still waiting for an OPPO device with its selfie camera hidden under the screen. Hopefully, The Find X4 series will introduce this tech next year. If they can offer a good selfie quality from their unit, it will be a great success.

What do you think of the under-display camera technology? Is it ready to use on mainstream devices? Or are the smartphone brands releasing their devices with half-baked technology? Do you think that they should wait for it to get to a prime state like Apple?