Xiaomi’s First Alleged Under-Screen Camera Smartphone Spotted in a Leaked Design Patent

Xiaomi’s answer to the notch and punch-hole designs has been limited to pop-up modules which trended in 2019. But the manufacturer had to fall back to the infamous notch because the pop-up camera trend didn’t take off. But Xiaomi seems to have plans to kill the notch and punch-hole for good, and this time with an ‘under-the-display’ solution.

Xiaomi has previously experimented with the technology last year and even developed a prototype, but the camera ran into exposure issues, and never hit the market. According to LetsGoDigital, Xiaomi’s 2020 follow-up prototype delivers a true ‘Full View’ display using an under-screen camera.

The report features a leaked patent image that describes that the under-screen unit replaces pixels to reveal the camera. Once it’s no longer in use, the region containing the camera (or the pro-active) is populated with pixels again, turning it back into a regular screen. Similar to how pop-up camera mechanisms work.

LetsGoDigital also attached a render with the report, that shows a Xiaomi latest model with minimal bezels and a notch or punch-hole free display. The mystery phone isn’t named, but it borrows its design language from the previous-gen Xiaomi Mi 9. Its chamfered rear panel has a solid glossy blue hue and a triple-camera on the back. 

Note that the patent renders hardly ever make it to the finalized design, not to mention that a Xiaomi executive has already announced that the innovative under-screen technology is far from commercially feasible as of yet. So it could be a while before we see an under-display selfie camera on a Xiaomi device.