In a bid to make the displays as large as possible on smartphones, manufacturers have removed the bezels and replaced them with a notch.
The notch is apparently not popular as Samsung is now working to remove it by completely hiding front-facing cameras behind the display.
Hiding a camera behind a display may sound like an impossible feat, but new phones appear with an invisible fingerprint scanner installed behind the screen, so a hidden camera does not seem so farfetched.
A CNBC report indicates that Samsung is working on such a solution, but it’s not likely to appear anytime soon.
“Though it wouldn’t be possible to make in the next one to two years, the technology can move forward to the point where the camera hole will be invisible, while not affecting the camera’s function in any way.” Yang Byung-duk, Samsung’s Vice President of the Mobile Communication Display R&D group, explained.
In-display fingerprint sensors started being mass-produced in late 2017 and then first appeared in a phone from Vivo.
Most recently, Samsung added one to its Galaxy S10 which shipped with a screen protector pre-installed so as to guarantee the fingerprint sensor would continue to work.
These optical sensors work by lighting up the screen and capturing the reflected light when a finger is placed above it. Achieving the same for a camera to work effectively will required turning screen pixels off and allowing light to flow freely through to the camera.
It sounds as though some display technology tweaks will be required to get it to work, which is why it could take a few years to see it.
ZuvielNaazie/techvoiceafrica.com
