Samsung Galaxy Note 21 needs to steal this under-display camera breakthrough

Samsung Milky way Note 21 needs to steal this under-brandish camera breakthrough

(Image credit: ZTE)

Recent rumors paint the Samsung Galaxy Notation 21 as being in a catchy spot without a unique selling signal. Nosotros've got an thought of how it could stand up out.

A post from ZTE's Weibo page has announced a new generation of under-display camera tech. The ability to hibernate a selfie camera below the screen is still a novelty, and if Samsung were to develop its own version, it could give the Milky way Note line a new lease on life.

ZTE Axon xx 5G review: Get-go phone with nether-brandish camera
These are the best phones available to buy at present
Plus: Stunning iPhone Fold video teases Apple'due south foldable future

ZTE has feel in this area already. The ZTE Axon xx 5G was released last yr, bearing the showtime nether-display camera in the world. But while it was technically impressive, information technology took substandard selfies compared to rival phones.

ZTE under-display camera — (Image credit: ZTE)

The new generation of nether-display photographic camera increases the pixel density in the surface area from 200 pixels per inch (PPI) to 400 PPI, which should make information technology blend in more effectively with the area of standard display around it.

Every bit you can see in the beneath prototype of the Axon twenty 5G, it can sometimes exist very obvious where the camera is located due to that lower pixel density.

ZTE Axon 20 5G under-display camera — (Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

In addition, the display'due south refresh rate has been increased from the 90Hz we saw on the Axon 20 to 120Hz. That brings the screen in line with the maximum refresh charge per unit constitute on many of the all-time Android phones today, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 serial.

However, ZTE hasn't seemed to answer the photo quality problem. This stems from the fact that putting a layer of pixels betwixt the bailiwick and the camera reduces the corporeality of light that reaches the photo sensor, making the final epitome darker and blurrier. Fixing this would require some improved photo processing software, or a radically redesigned display that lets more low-cal pass through information technology.

The other big reveal ZTE posted was for an under-display 3D scanner, apparently another world first. This would allow for facial recognition systems, such as Confront ID on the iPhone 13, to work without a notch in the display.

ZTE says this technology could be used for 3D modeling, AR applications and fifty-fifty payment systems, although its post doesn't become into particular on how.

Why the Galaxy Note 21 needs it

ZTE is currently the only company using these under-display sensors, but it may not exist alone for long. There are rumors of a hidden selfie photographic camera on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, likewise every bit the Note 21, both of which are due out past the end of the year. And in 2022 we're likely to run across even more devices using under-brandish tech, as information technology continues to exist refined.

Samsung Galaxy Note 21 — (Image credit: Samsung)

The Galaxy Note 21 is in greater need of information technology than the Z Fold 3, though. Now that Samsung is offering its S Pen stylus on the Samsung Milky way S21 Ultra, and is rumored to exist doing and then on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 also, the Galaxy Note serial has lost its unique selling point. Therefore, if Samsung wants to keep the Notation alive, information technology needs something new and impressive to make the phone stand out — and this nether-display camera and 3D scanner tech would fit the bill.

It may be some time before all of the best phones on the market use under-display cameras. But information technology's fascinating to see the engineering develop earlier our optics, and we expect forward to trying these second-gen nether-display sensors when they get in on a product device.

More: Google Pixel Fold could challenge Samsung Milky way Z Fold iii later this year

Richard is a Tom's Guide staff writer based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, gaming, audio and whatever else people need communication on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.Grand., The Register and Artistic Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking most how to mash the perfect cup of specialty java.