Samsung only recently released the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and we now have the first speculation regarding its successor. According to a recent report, Samsung’s screen camera (UDC) technology will no longer be introduced with the Galaxy S21 anymore. This is because the yield rate is too low. Samsung Galaxy S21 will start mass production in November at the latest. This means that the on-screen camera technology will not be ready for this device. However, this technology is now scheduled to come with Samsung’s next generation foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
The report also claims that
the UDC technology was to arrive with the Galaxy Z Fold 2. However, the output
was not enough at the time of its mass production. This is the same reason why
it will not arrive with the Galaxy S21. It makes sense for the UDC technology
to arrive with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 foldable phone. This is because the
production units of foldable phones are not very high. Thus, producing enough
units will not be a challenge relatively.
The world’s first mobile phone
with under-screen camera technology is ZTE AXON 20 5G. This smartphone was
released on the 1st of last month. Unfortunately, this device is only available
in China for now. It may not be leaving China any time soon.
Regarding Samsung’s
under-screen camera technology, TheLec reports that Samsung plans to use a
piece of laser equipment (HIAA: Hole In Active Area) to achieve UDC. There are
two types of HIA equipment – “HIAA 1” and “HIAA 2”. While HIAA 1 punches a hole
on the screen in one shot, HIAA 2 punches many micro holes. For Samsung, it is
using the HIAA 2 equipment to develop UDC technology.
However, the output of
Samsung’s solution shows that there is no punch-hole at all. The front camera
is completely transparent. Irrespective of the method Samsung chooses to adopt,
the yield rate is still low. Apart from developing the UDC technology, the
camera module must be a perfect fit. This means that there is also a lot of
work to be done on the camera sensor itself.
For the camera module, it must
be thinner to fit under the display. Furthermore, it must have a software that
corrects colour distortion. Obviously, the UDC technology requires a lot of
work. Recall that as of last year, the HIAA 2 equipment was already with
Samsung Display. One year down the line, the company still needs to work on
this technology.