Oppo Unveils Under-Screen Smartphone Camera Technology

As part of the company's showcase at the MWC Shanghai electronics show, Oppo has revealed its new under-screen mobile camera technology. The tech enables the manufacturer to integrate a front camera underneath a smartphone's display without any visible bezel or notch, resulting in a completely seamless experience without any interruptions on the screen.

More than just a tech concept, the feature is actually already functional and is being demoed at the show. According to Oppo, the camera is invisible when not in use, offering a full screen experience for videos, games, calls, and productivity.

Check out the company's tweet below for a brief teaser of the feature!

OPPO's brand new solution for full-screen display - Under-screen Camera (USC) has just been unveiled here at #MWC19 Shanghai! ???? #MoreThanTheSeen pic.twitter.com/c1FUEbXS0P

— OPPO (@oppo) June 26, 2019

To pull off the feature, the smartphone uses a custom display and camera module. The screen above the selfie camera is constructed from a highly-transparent material and also utilizes a redesigned pixel structure to enable better light transmittance. In order to further optimize light absorption, the camera itself includes a larger sensor, bigger pixels, and a wider aperture than a typical front-facing mobile camera.

But even with those custom components, the under-screen camera tech can still be prone to blurry image capture. To help reduce this issue, Oppo has also employed specially optimized white balance, HDR, and haze removal algorithms.

Specific Oppo mobile devices set to use the new under-screen camera technology have not been announced yet, but if certain kinks can be worked out, the feature could offer a more pleasing alternative to the camera notch design found on many current smartphone models.

Sources: Oppo via DP Review, GSM Arena, Engadget