And eventually maybe even hiding the camera behind the screen... The tech that goes into making a front facing camera possible with no notch is going to have to be really advanced.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Front Camera Lens on Future iPhones Could Be Hidden With Special 'Pure Black' Coating
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Add this to the list of iPhone features we have to look forward to for next year:
- Slightly faster chips
- Slightly better battery life
- Slightly better displays
- Slightly faster internet
- Slightly less visible front-facing camera
The really interesting news would be a camera behind the display. If there's the notch I don't really care about the camera being visible
As if this is people's number one concern... Seriously Apple, I can name at least 5 major things you guys need to do with the iPhone that are more important than hiding the front facing camera.
Wait until all the flagships manage to make their phones have an unobstructed edge-to-edge display, no matter what phone you get "slightly" will be all you really get lol
Make the notch blacker... sure, *THAT'S* the solution to the notch-issue... 
Who stops this Jony Ive?
Thinner (shorter battery time), glass (can be broken now on both sides) and now darker (enforces the low light weakness of phones for sure)...
– what I would wish is a BETTER CAMERA in a bigger step than the small ones of the last 3 years
Thinner (shorter battery time), glass (can be broken now on both sides) and now darker (enforces the low light weakness of phones for sure)...
– what I would wish is a BETTER CAMERA in a bigger step than the small ones of the last 3 years
Last edited:
Yeah, and it will come down to more philosophical things, which are not slight to me. Such as privacy.
Add it all up versus 3 years ago and it's a big change from the iPhone 6S.
New form factor, far better cameras, 3X faster processor, better displays, FaceID, etc.
No one is saying it's worth upgrading every year, but that doesn't mean the innovation doesn't add up over time.
iPhone camera lens supplier Largan Precision is developing a special black coating for front-facing smartphone camera lenses, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst at Chinese investment firm GF Securities.
Pu's research note, shared by Taiwanese publications Economic Daily News and MoneyDJ, claims that one or two smartphone makers could adopt the technology as early as 2020. Given that Largan already has a relationship with Apple, it is speculated that the special coating could be applied to future iPhones.
A translated version of the Economic Daily News report says the special coating would allow the front camera lens to "completely disappear." A translation of the MoneyDJ report says the coating will be "pure black," eliminating the "small spots" like those visible in the notch on the iPhone X and newer.
The front camera lens already blends into the notch pretty well on iPhones, but it is visible from certain angles and lighting conditions. The special coating would presumably make the lens completely invisible to the eye.
Apple design chief Jony Ive has long dreamed of an iPhone that resembles a single sheet of glass, and hiding the front camera lens would be yet another step towards that goal, even if it sounds like an insignificant change. This is the first time we've heard this rumor, however, so treat it with some skepticism.
Article Link: Front Camera Lens on Future iPhones Could Be Hidden With Special 'Pure Black' Coating
My simplistic approach for a true edge-to-edge design: hide the front cameras under the display and whenever the camera is needed de-activate the specific pixels that cover the camera to take photos, faceid, etc.
Does such technology even exist? Would this even make any sense?
That’s a silly response. I do have a phone with a notch, and I am all for them getting rid of it.
I would much rather have a thinner uniform bezel than that cutout, yes.
It’s not just the iphone, it’s ALL smartphones that are getting mature in terms of features and specs...
Yeah, I've thought about this a lot. This black visibility reduction could be useful when trying to hide it behind a display if you can get a display that is transparent and can emit it's own light source. I think at best you could maybe do semi-transparent, but then that could obscure the camera enough to significantly lower it's ability to capture light. Maybe they could reflect a small portion of the display into a material above using a mirror or some kind of small laser. Then you just turn off that part when needing to use the camera. The problem is you also have to deal with the FaceID laser dot array thing, the IR camera for unlocking in the dark, etc. The speaker grill could maybe go into the thin bezel. Though it could be possible to combine the IR camera into the front camera by having an IR cut filter that could slide out of the way if it's too dark.
I just get the sense that the notch is going to be around for a while. I think that by autumn 2020 at the latest we could see a reduced notch size. In my fantasy ideal world I would have them remove the front facing camera and Face ID and do in-display Touch ID with no notch because I hardly use my front facing camera and like being able to quickly unlock my iPhone when it's on a desk without having to scan my face. But they will never do that.
Agreed. Google and Samsung tried VR glasses, and Apple is still officially pushing AR but there aren’t a lot of physical features that can be added to a phone on a practical basis right now. Other than more of “Feature X” or “Faster Process Y “ right now I don’t know what can be added to anyone’s phone line. Most improvements right now are software based, so the most important things for smartphones in the immediate future are faster processing, efficient RAM, high speed wireless connectivity and good access to storage.
Phones do all of those things now, future phones will only do them better. If you know some currently unknown killer feature for smartphones then now is the time to make one.
Please make it happen and soon. You have no idea how upset I get looking at that ugly camera lens every time I pick up my phone. It is so disturbing. Damn it apple get your act together. This is important stuff that needs fixing now. Get those people off the silly computer stuff and make this happen. OMG........this goes beyond being pathetic.
Since were are in the topic of cameras, you’re missing its been rumored at least on three reports for the ‘Triple lens’ camera to make a debut next year. I honestly believe this could be a decent camera upgrade with stereoscopic imaging _If_ it proves to be true.
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/07/05/2019-iphone-rear-3d-sensing-rumors/amp/
[doublepost=1538151577][/doublepost]What problem is this solving?
iPhone camera lens supplier Largan Precision is developing a special black coating for front-facing smartphone camera lenses, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst at Chinese investment firm GF Securities.
Pu's research note, shared by Taiwanese publications Economic Daily News and MoneyDJ, claims that one or two smartphone makers could adopt the technology as early as 2020. Given that Largan already has a relationship with Apple, it is speculated that the special coating could be applied to future iPhones.
A translated version of the Economic Daily News report says the special coating would allow the front camera lens to "completely disappear." A translation of the MoneyDJ report says the coating will be "pure black," eliminating the "small spots" like those visible in the notch on the iPhone X and newer.
The front camera lens already blends into the notch pretty well on iPhones, but it is visible from certain angles and lighting conditions. The special coating would presumably make the lens completely invisible to the eye.
Apple design chief Jony Ive has long dreamed of an iPhone that resembles a single sheet of glass, and hiding the front camera lens would be yet another step towards that goal, even if it sounds like an insignificant change. This is the first time we've heard this rumor, however, so treat it with some skepticism.
Article Link: Front Camera Lens on Future iPhones Could Be Hidden With Special 'Pure Black' Coating
Not necessarily like it but after the first half hour of using my iPhone Xs Max, I don’t even noticed the notch anymore. It’s like my brain automatically ignores it. Sort of like a „banner blindness“ people get from online ads