After teasing it for a little while now, Oppo just officially unveiled the world’s first under-screen front-facing phone camera at MWC Shanghai.
While many may have expected a brand like Samsung to be the first to market with this kind of technology, it kind of makes sense that it was Oppo.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/06/i-cant-stop-playing-with-oppo-reno-5g-nub/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/oppo-nub-410×231.jpg” title=”I Can’t Stop Playing With Oppo Reno’s Nub” excerpt=”This week Oppo’s 5G Reno phone went on sale in Australia. I’ve been playing with it and while a full review is still aways off, there is one thing I must share immediately: I am obsessed with its nub.”]
The Chinese phone manufactuer has made a name for itself when it comes to camera innovation.
It’s last two flagships have done funky stuff with the selfie cam in order to maximise the screen-to-body ratio.
Last year’s Find X reintroduced the smart phone world to the concept of pop-up cameras, and the most recent Oppo Reno built upon this concept with its shark fin design.
Now Oppo has taken the next logical step by eliminating the need for a notch, bezel, hole-punch or pop-up when it comes to shooting with a front-facing lens.
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
Oppo is referring the the camera as USC. It apparently uses its own custom transparent material, a new pixel structure, a larger sensor and a wide aperture lens to allow for light to penetrate the screen and reach the camera.
However, Engadget Chinese did manage to discover that the camera is visible under the screen at certain angles.
The algorithms behind our USC technology showcased at #MWC19 include haze removal, HDR and white balance resulting in a bezel-less phone, yet with a selfie camera that rivals current smartphones in the market today. #MoreThanTheSeen pic.twitter.com/yTpWgIMLmA
— OPPO (@oppo) June 26, 2019
While Oppo has said that it will be using software in order to ensure decent photo quality, it will be interesting to see how placing the lens under the screen will impact on things like white balance and haze in a real world scenario.
Being a prototype, there is yet to be an actual phone announcement around this tech. But we can probably expect it in the relatively near future.