Not so long ago, companies promoted an interesting trend: front cameras hidden inside the case. They protruded only when necessary, and there were no cutouts on the screen. The solution seemed quite successful: frameless displays without distracting elements looked futuristic. But soon the innovation disappeared from popular flagships. What is the reason?
The idea didn't last long.
The race to expand the screen area began in 2017. Then the iPhone X was released, which set a new standard for the thickness of the frames. The camera and Face ID sensors were placed in the “bang”. A similar design was quickly picked up by competitors. Engineers sought to minimize the cutout so that the matrix occupied as much of the front panel as possible. But consumers wanted a fully immersive display, and vendors came up with a creative solution.
The camera appeared from the top edge only when it was necessary to take a picture. Reliability was also taken care of: for example, in the OnePlus 7 Pro, the selfie module automatically hid when a fall was detected. An additional bonus of the technology was privacy: since the front camera is hidden from the environment almost always, sensitive users no longer have to fear surveillance. In the ASUS ZenFone 6 and Galaxy A80 models, they went even further: they implemented a rotating rear module. So they not only got rid of the notch, but also made selfies with the main camera possible.
Although this innovation was appreciated by many people, not all manufacturers rushed to implement it. The moving part, despite the safety measures taken, introduced an element of unreliability. Not to mention the complexity of the mechanism itself. As a result, mainstream brands conducted such an experiment in only one generation of their flagships.
Priorities have changed
As it turned out, many users do not consider cutouts for front cameras to be a serious drawback. With prolonged viewing, the brain easily adapts and “filters” such elements, so that they are no longer so noticeable. The main reason for refusing to use sliding modules is uncertainty about their durability. Traditional options are much more difficult to damage, and therefore, they are more optimal in terms of long-term operation.
Another disadvantage is the compromise in terms of water and dust protection. It is impossible to insulate the case from immersion with such a camera, while buyers now expect standards like IP68 from premium devices. In addition, the motorized components consumed a significant part of the battery charge. And the space they occupied inside could be useful for the battery and other spare parts.
Overall, it became clear that the solution was more of an interim solution than a final one. And in this case, the full-screen experience comes at a cost of practicality and long-term reliability.
However, the idea of bezel-less displays has not been abandoned, and now they are approaching it from a different angle. The technology of under-screen cameras is actively developing. Here, the nuances with durability are leveled, but the quality of shooting still suffers. Nevertheless, today this is the most promising development. But Apple, on the contrary, has turned the sector with sensors into a functional design element.
