The Samsung Galaxy S20 range, aside from some camera system focus issues, has been generally well received, with the S20 Ultra in particular racking up some tasty review scores.
The phone, though, has immediately come up against fierce resistance from rivals such as the OnePlus 8 Pro and Huawei P40 Pro, and is set to face Apple's much-hyped iPhone 12, too, before the year is out.
Hopefully Samsung can bolster its ranks with the introduction of the Galaxy Note 20, but even if that phone makes a strong showing, it is fair to say that the competition the South Korean maker will be facing over the next twelve months has just reached a new level of ferocity.
According to a fresh leak, though, Samsung is doing anything but resting on its laurels and has just sent a dispatch to its R&D wing to do everything possible to prep next year's Galaxy S21 flagship with a truly gaming-changing special weapon.
That special weapon? As noted by Samsung's own leakster-in-chief Iceuniverse, an under-screen selfie camera. Ice, who has a pretty much bullet reputation for accurately leaking Samsung phone info, broke the revelation on Twitter, stating that:
Samsung is considering using the under-screen camera technology on the Galaxy S21 first, and is evaluating the feasibility of the technology.April 9, 2020
Now, while the under-screen camera is not yet confirmed, with Samsung's R&D arm currently "evaluating the feasibility of the technology", the timing does line up with the other leaks and whispers we've been hearing in the smartphone rumour mill.
Ever since Xiaomi published a short video (see below) showing "a sneak peak at the future" back in June 2019, and then Oppo unveiled its "Under-screen Camera" at Mobile World Congress 2019 Shanghai, talk of under screen camera technology being under development by multiple Android phone makers has not ceased, with "coming soon" messages abundant.
And now it seems that Samsung intends to be one of the first, if not the first smartphone maker to release a phone with an under-screen camera. If it does, then that will be a powerful new arrow in its quiver, and a great way to beat back its rivals with a genuine piece of tech magic.
For years we've been calling out for under-screen camera tech to make an appearance in a commercial smartphone, as for all the talk of notches, pin-holes and pop-ups, the most ideal setup for delivering a gorgeous full-screen phone experience is obviously one that utilises and under-screen camera.
No iteruptions to the screen like with a notch or pin-hole, and equally no extra points of mechanical failure as can happen with a pop-up. Under-screen solves both issues. Of course, getting the technology to a state where it is mature enough and cost-effective enough is easier said than done.
With years of development now downstream, though, it feels like 2021 could be the year where under-screen camera tech hits the mainstream phone market, and if this fresh leak is true, then it looks like Samsung will be leading the charge.
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