A report from South Korea last month claimed that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be the first Samsung smartphone to feature an under-display camera (UDC). Now a new report, again coming from the company’s homeland, reiterates that claim.
According to an ETNews report, Samsung has started the development of a UDC solution for the next-generation Fold. Samsung Display is making the screen for this technology while Samsung LSI will supply the camera module.
Samsung was previously expected to introduce its version of this unprecedented UDC technology with the Galaxy S21 series. However, that seemingly isn’t happening as recent leaks have all shown the upcoming Galaxy S flagships featuring a punch-hole display.
The report last month claimed that the Korean giant isn’t yet ready with the new camera tech to begin mass production in time for its next flagships. The Galaxy S21 series could launch in February next year, although multiple reports in recent weeks have pointed to a January launch. The Galaxy Z Fold 3, meanwhile, will not likely arrive until Q3 2021. So Samsung still has a decent amount of buffer time to refine its UDC solution.
Samsung to introduce an under-display camera system with the Galaxy Z Fold 3
According to an industry insider, Samsung is opting for a tried and tested technique for its UDC solution. The display area over the camera lens will have wider gaps between pixels, thus allowing the light to pass through. This is the very technique ZTE applied on the Axon 20 5G, the world’s first under-display camera phone.
However, since wider pixel gaps affect the display’s image quality, Samsung had to ensure that the gaps aren’t too wide. Additionally, smaller gaps mean the camera may not receive an adequate amount of light to produce clearer pictures. The OLED display layer may also refract the light away from the lens. So to achieve a balance and improve the output quality from this camera setup, the company is also developing an image correction algorithm.
Samsung sees foldable smartphones as the way forward. The company has high hopes with foldable devices, so much so that it’s reportedly mulling a merger of its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagship lineups and pitch the Galaxy Flip and Galaxy Fold series as mainstream flagship devices.
An under-display camera would certainly make Samsung’s Galaxy Fold series devices all the more appealing. The Galaxy Z Fold 2, with its punch-hole display, already looks like a massive upgrade over the wide notch on the original Fold. An inner display without any disruptions would truly be a sight to behold on the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
That said, there’s still a long way to go for the launch of the next-gen Fold. We’ll have to wait and see how everything plays out. Hopefully, there won’t be any more delays and we will see Samsung debut its UDC tech with the Fold 3.