Credit: Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
Over the years, smartphone makers have tried to tuck away the selfie camera in different places. We’ve seen everything from pop-up modules to notches of various sizes and shapes, tiny pinholes, and even under-display camera trickery. However, a recently discovered OnePlus patent showing a new placement for the selfie camera seems to be gaining a lot of attention.
Last week, we reported that OnePlus has filed a patent for a smartphone display with a selfie shooter inside its top bezel. Apart from promising an interruption-free experience, the OnePlus patent also noted that the in-bezel camera would be covered with a transparent plate, possibly to make it even more obscure and undetectable.
So we asked you, our readers, if you prefer OnePlus’ latest trick or if you think under-display cameras are the way to go. Here’s how you voted in our poll.
Do you prefer under-display cameras or OnePlus’s bezel solution?
Results
We received over 7,400 votes on our poll about OnePlus’ bezel-cam. A majority of you — 42.8% — prefer OnePlus’ solution over under-display selfie cameras. You probably voted against the latter because the tech is not exactly very reliable right now.
A little over 24% of you said that under-display cameras are the way to go. After all, they do offer the opportunity to get rid of the bezels as well.
That said, almost the same number — 23.5% — of our readers voted for pop-up cameras as the best, tried-and-tested selfie camera hiding trick in the book.
8.9% of the respondents thought that all the aforementioned solutions are bad. As per them, there’s got to be a better place for the selfie shooter.
Your comments
Wongwatt: Just put the damn bezels back already! Sony has shrunk them down to 6mm on the Xperia 1 II with dual front-facing speakers. It looks like the Xperia 1 III will have even narrower ones. Why do these companies chase solutions to a problem that never existed? Put…the…bezels…back..!
Paul: I never understood why people were willing to compromise cameras, sensors, audio, gaming, and usability just for the sake of looks. But with media sites quickly condemning anything with bezels, it was inevitable, and now we have companies pushing crap solutions. I still remember the old HTC U11 and how the initial reviewers gushed over the stunning colors, excellent camera, frame features, mind-blowing audio, perfect touch response, and the gorgeous screen… until Michael Fisher did a rant on the bezels.
Demongornot: With bezels as slim as those in the Meizu 16 or Nubia Red Magic, it is crazy people still complain about it. Literally, there are phones with punch hole or notch that have thicker bezels (mainly the bottom one) than the actual bezel hosting the camera on those two. The OnePlus solution is just marketing differently the good old bezel but made in a slim way like others already did. It is still a regular bezel IMO.
Shizuma: Anything that doesn’t involve a hole or notch in the screen is the best solution, but honestly, the chasing of the screen-to-body ratio because annoying reviewers decided to harp on it is pointless, tall skinny displays stuck, even 16:9 is too tall IMO. I’d rather 16:10 or 4:3.
DAS ALPHAKKA: Pop-Up. I don’t use selfie cams often, so I’m quite happy with it being tucked away until I need it. There’s still some love in me for the A80’s “flip-over” camera, though.
Joe Black: Anything that does not destroy the screen is good.
