Chinese smartphone companies are well known for chasing “world’s first” titles. They are often seen chasing to be top companies in different perspectives, from having the fastest charging brick, massive camera lenses – even if they are not individually fabricated – and so on.
Today, we bring you the news of an upcoming supposedly “world’s first” 5G phone that will have an under-display camera. The phone, ZTE Axon 20 5G, will launch in September this year.
ZTE’s President for Business, Ni Fei, teased about the Axon 20 5G last week and claimed it would be the world’s first phone to feature an under-display camera.
The problem may not be when the device is launched, however, commercial availability is what matters. From my experience covering “world’s first”-related news, I can tell you that most of these devices are usually not available for purchase soon after launch.
Still, ZTE won’t be the first smartphone company to be working on this particular feature. OPPO, another Chinese company, teased about working on a device with an under-display selfie camera in June 2019 and showcased working prototypes in December.
But 12 months later since initial “teasing”, nothing has hit the shelves yet and OPPO’s VP, Brian Shen, recently warned that consumers shouldn’t put “too high” expectations on the technology at the moment.
It doesn’t mean the doors are closed for some change. ZTE’s case may change that, and it will be exciting to see how this unfolds. Meanwhile, mark the dates folks – the ZTE Axon 20 5G will be unveiled on 1st September 2020.
