Samsung has just published a teaser video for its next-gen OLED panels with under-display camera (UDC) technology. The video highlights how the new OLEDs could change things for good. However, before you get too excited, you might want to learn that this UDC OLED panel isn’t meant for use in smartphones. Instead, Samsung is developing its first under-display camera tech for laptops.
The teaser video published on YouTube shows a laptop PC with a sleek design. Samsung calls this product “Blade Bezel” as it features pretty much non-existent bezels around the display. It’s an all-screen display as the front-facing camera hides under the OLED panel.
Samsung says the ultra-slim bezels paired with an under-display camera means its OLED panels offer a whopping 93 percent screen-to-body ratio. That’s significantly higher than the 85 percent screen-to-body ratio offered by existing conventional OLED panels.
The Korean company also touts up to 50 percent thinner footprint. While the existing OLED panels are about 2.1mm thick, Samsung’s next-gen OLED panels measure just one millimeter in thickness. As a result, they are significantly lighter as well (up to 30 percent). A 13.3-inch Samsung OLED weighs just about 130 grams, compared to 180 grams a conventional OLED panel weighs.
The teaser video, of course, is for Samsung’s next-gen OLED panels and not for an upcoming PC. However, Samsung Display has particularly mentioned “OLED for laptops,” so it shouldn’t be surprising if the Korean company is already working on its first PC with an under-display camera.
Samsung teases its first under-display camera technology
An under-display camera seems to be the answer to our never-ending quest for all-screen devices. Of course, ZTE has already launched such a product, the Axon 20 5G. However, hands-on reviews suggest the device still has plenty of room to improve as far as its UDC tech is concerned.
And while the ZTE Axon 20 5G is still the only smartphone with an under-display front camera, several other OEMs are also exploring this next-gen display technology. Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone vendor, is certainly one of the frontrunners in this race.
The Korean giant is rumored to introduce an under-display camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 later this year. However, by the looks of it, the company may end up launching a laptop with UDC tech first. Perhaps it doesn’t want to hurry into the next-gen technology and release an under-cooked product into the market. Packing a first-gen under-display camera in a flagship product may not be the best idea after all.
Nonetheless, we are likely to see several real-life products with an under-display camera this year. Samsung will certainly launch such a product sooner or later. Expect to hear a lot more about Samsung’s UDC tech in the coming months.