An unfortunate side effect of frameless smartphone designs is the notch on the screen, which leaves room for the front camera (and facial reading technology). One solution to this problem is the camera under the screen of the ZTE Axon 20 5G and, although not very good, it is still interesting to see how the technology works.
A recent disassembly of YouTuber JerryRigEverything gives us a more detailed look at how the ZTE Axon 20 5G performed the camera on display. It turns out that the device uses two screens stacked on top of each other, which allows the camera under the screen to look under the top layer screen. JerryRigEverything provides a careful analysis of each component used by ZTE, so it is worth watching.
In practice, the front camera of the ZTE Axon 20 5G could still be a lot of work. Here’s what we said in our review:
The problem with the camera is how blurry it is, which seems to be a side effect of it being under the screen itself. I know the two photos above are in low light, but the same blurry softening effect can be seen in all lighting conditions. In fact, when in direct light, any light source shown in the viewfinder will flourish strongly and totally destroy the quality of the photo. The best way I can describe the photos on this camera is “smooth”.
Although the execution is not perfect, the ZTE Axon 20 5G can signal where the smartphone industry is going. This is good news for consumers, because it means that the days of the displays and notches are numbered. We just hope that the technology can progress enough to one day match the quality that the devices currently offer.
For now, ZTE’s solution is the best we have, even if it needs some work. But it can be a taste of what may become the norm in the future.
ZTE Axon 20 5G Forums