Last week, when we told you that Samsung’s under-display camera technology is not yet ready for smartphones, we passed along a promo video made by the manufacturer. One part of the video showed three letters at the top of the screen, “UPC.” Right underneath those letters the words “Under panel camera” were printed. According to information from the Korean Intellectual Property Office (via GizChina), on January 15th Samsung Display registered the UPC trademark for the Under panel camera system.
By moving the technology needed for a front-facing camera, including the lens, underneath the display, phone manufacturers will be able to get rid of a notch, a punch-hole camera, and even a pop-up camera. The application for the trademark mentions that UPC does stand for Under Panel Camera and even states that we should see the technology offered on TV Display Panels in addition to Smartphone Displays.
Last week Samsung released a video in conjunction with the start of the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show. The video released by Samsung discussing the company’s recycling program showed off a phone that has yet to be unveiled by the manufacturer. This handset had no punch hole or any opening that could be used for a front-facing camera. Some believe this handset is the Samsung Galaxy Note 21. Without a punch-hole for the selfie snapper, the video could be telling us that Sammy’s second half 2021 flagship line will employ UPC technology.
Screen grab from Samsung video shows what could be the Samsung Galaxy Note 21 using UPC technology
Samsung isn’t the only phone manufacturer with an under-display camera system. In fact, the ZTE Axon 20 5G was the first to market with such a feature. Last week, a Huawei design patent for an under-display camera went online after being filed with the China National Intellectual Property Office.
