- A new Xiaomi design patent describes a unique design for a dual-use camera under the display.
- The normally rear camera would rotate to point at the display when needed.
- The camera can then act as a camera under the display and take pictures via the display.
We’ve seen some pretty crazy Xiaomi concepts and patents in the past, but this design could make the difference. According to a patent filed in 2020 but recently granted by WIPO (via LetsGoDigital), Xiaomi is developing a new design for a rotating camera phone under the display.
The design shows a triple camera array on the back – similar to the layout of the iPhone 12 – in the phone corner. One of these rear-facing cameras can “spin” with a motor or magnet to point at the display. In this configuration, the camera would essentially act as a front-facing selfie camera under the display.
Patent documents suggest that part of the display would let light through for the camera. It’s unclear how big that section of the screen would be, but ZTE demonstrated on the Axon 20 that it can be difficult to notice when done well. Regardless, the design would allow Xiaomi to offer a smartphone with an all-screen phone without the need for a special camera under the display. This can also allow the Chinese manufacturer to use more powerful camera hardware as well.
There’s no indication of whether this camera is the primary rearview camera or an ultra-wide snapper. Either way, the camera should also be useful as a rear-facing shooter and a selfie camera.
Xiaomi’s sub-display camera phones are coming
However, this is not Xiaomi’s only phone view visible under the display. A design revealed a year ago describes a similar solution to the ZTE Axon 20. The company also confirmed last year that it plans to launch its first under-display camera phones in 2021.
In particular, Xiaomi’s patent for rotating sub-display cameras was filed in 2020, but it was only recently revealed in April. It is unclear whether Xiaomi plans to bring this design to market or whether it will settle for a simpler implementation for now.
What do you think of Xiaomi’s rotating design of the camera under the display? Is it too time-consuming or pretty ingenious? Let us know in the comments below.
