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Xiaomi and OPPO in-display cameras let us peek at the future

By Chris Burns/

This week the Android-centric brands Xiaomi and OPPO showed their own next-generation technology to the public. The releases were sort of offhand – not exactly like a press release, and certainly not in a way as massive as a full press event. Instead, both companies have decided to show the tech via Twitter.

Both of these companies have what's basically the same sort of tech to throw their competitors for a loop. It could also be that they're trying to impress upon consumers that they're ahead of the curve. Either way, we get to see this tech before it's available on the open market.

Above you'll see the Xiaomi example. This was shared by Alvin Tse, who works as head of both Xiaomi and their sub-brand POCO. This does not necessarily mean that this tech will be available for both Xiaomi and POCO phones, but it DOES mean it's a possibility.

Next is a closer look at the tech via Xiaomi Senior Vice President Wang Xiang. The several frames we see here show the slight difference between a standard OLED display panel and a Transparent Display OLED. The biggest differences come in the Cathode and the Anode, both of which are now transparent – and the OLM (organic luminescent material) in-between works pretty much the same.

Finally you'll see OPPO's solution. It's quite likely we're seeing the same solution above as below – with a different brand for the final device. This happens often, that a single manufacturer will get the ability to make a new sort of technology and a variety of consumer brands take the opportunity to implement said technology in their phone, and essentially call it their own.

If you're thinking other brands in China like VIVO and OnePlus and Huawei won't get this same tech in short order, you're in for a shock. We'll expect other major brands like Samsung and Apple to start using this tech within the next couple years.

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