invisible lcd screen price

Transparent LCD’s provide an innovative display solution opening up new ways for brands to promote their products and services. Examples include retail stores looking to advertise a new fashion clothing or accessory, museums securely housing a precious artifact with information displayed on screen or brands looking to launch a new product at a live event or show. The opportunities are endless!

Our Transparent LCD Displays include a Grade A LCD panel with metal bezel protecting the edges / electronics and a media board supporting HDMI or VGA inputs from your PC, Laptop or Media Player.

Transparent screen technology offers intriguing ways to deliver visual information to your audience, being used to reveal or conceal products, objects or artefacts behind the screen.

The combination of HD LCD technology (4K on our 65″, 86″, 98″ version) with a transparent screen substrate opens up creative avenues that were previously closed with traditional LCD displays. Solid black pixels on a transparent background can be used in intriguing ways to hide (and gradually reveal) whatever is behind the screen.

Our Transparent LCD monitors are designed for integration into the customers own furniture housing or display case while our Transparent LCD showcases offer a complete solution including the display, housing and backlight with white or black options available on request. We can also offer custom freestanding options for POP / POS displays. Transparent LCD’s are predominantly fully housed however we’ve recently developed an innovative housing method using a high brightness LED panel which allows the display case sides to remain transparent for improved visibly into the display case.

Using their original design as a starting point, we worked closely with the team at Nike to adapt to the mechanical aspects of the design, the result was a sleek and minimalist set of nine Transparent LCD Display Screens, custom built to suit the applications requirements, bringing Nike’s original concept ideas to life.

These screens can also be granted multi-touch capability by combining them with infrared touch frames or PCAP touch overlays, to add an interactive element to your installation. This creates a very powerful impact when the content on screen integrates with real life objects behind the screen, encouraging viewers to interact on a level that will exceed expectations.

Transparent LCD’s comprise of an LCD panel without the backlight with white pixels appearing as transparent. In order to display an image, the Transparent LCD needs to be integrated into a housing with a high bright LED backlight.

We can also offer more complete solutions like our Transparent LCD Showcase that comes fully contained and ready to use with a powerful backlighting system to guarantee the best picture quality.

Yes in order to display an image Transparent LCD’s need to have a strong backlight. Notoriously Transparent LCD’s have also needed some form of housing to achieve optimum image quality, however, Nike’s House of Innovation paired our Transparent LCD’s with powerful, oversized backlights that allowed the screens to be mounted with no surround but still producing a high-quality image.

Transparent LCD’s are arguably the most popular transparent screens but are hindered by their need for a backlight to operate. For applications looking for a similar effect without the backlighting, Transparent OLEDs require no housing or surround but are only currently available in a 55″ screen size with HD quality. For larger transparent screen applications, Transparent LED’s are recommended with external and internal solutions usually installed to glass facades for the impact of an led screen without compromising the view from inside the building.

Transparent LCD’s are a great way to combine physical and digital displays in one central place making them a popular choice for museums and exhibitions. Our transparent screens can also be integrated into display furniture and appliances & vending machines like freezer doors for supermarkets. Other uses include POS displays, store window displays, trade shows and product launches.

We manufacture in Britain and ship worldwide – if you need further information, a pricing quote, or want to discuss ideas for using our Transparent LCD Display click the link below to contact us, email us via info@prodisplay.com or call us on +44 (0)1226 361 306.

Transparent Touch Screens combine our Transparent LCD Displays along with a Touch Screen Overlay to create a screen with a difference. Transparent touch screens bring two innovative technologies together to create a cutting edge display that is hard to ignore. At its heart, the Transparent LCD screen delivers HD or 4K images (depending on screen size) just like a standard digital signage display whereas the IR or PCAP touch overlay provides a seamless multi-touch experience.

If you’re looking for a compelling and engaging solution that goes beyond the traditional touch display, a transparent touch screen is the answer.  The key difference being that the display provides transparency – white content appears transparent and black content appears opaque while the full range of colours in between have semi-transparent properties that can be used to great creative effect with the content you design.

Transparent Touch Screens are often integrated into POP and POS displays for retail applications or in custom display cases for Museum, Exhibitions and Events. Display case housings are not always required however, as we’ve seen our Transparent LCD Touch Screens installed for Nike, instead using a high brightness LED light panel to support the content on screen rendering any additional surround unnecessary. This offers the potential to create modern, minimalist touchscreens and interactive totems designed for the future of user experience.

Farnborough Airshow is the world’s premier commercial and military trade event. Ouno’s brief was to present GKN’s innovative technologies in a standout way that builds on the established trade show format. Pro Display supplied its 65-inch multi-touch transparent LCD screen to live event specialists Ouno Creative. The holographic-effect interactive display showcases the latest jet engine products from Ouno’s client, GKN Aerospace

As with all LCD displays, colour is displayed using Red, Green and Blue pixels which are combined to display the final colour on screen. White content is displayed using an LED backlight behind the LCD display however with Transparent LCD technology, the backlight is removed which results in white content appearing transparent.

Add to that our Infrared or PCAP touch technology to allow viewers or presenters to interact with your content, and the result is a transparent touch screen that will attract, engage and entertain your audience like no other display solution!

We also offer alternative transparent touch screen technology including our Clearview Rear Projection Interactive Touch Foils, a transparent rear projection foil with through glass touch capabilities and our Interactive Transparent OLED, a high end transparent touch display with no requirement for backlighting and stunning HD 1080p image reproduction. We also offer an interactive switchable glass projection screen where the glass can be switched from frosted to clear on demand, giving touch screen glass a whole new meaning!

Our Transparent Touch Screens use IR (infrared) touch technology as standard to create interactive transparent displays. Infrared technology utilises an invisible grid system of light across the screen and as the screen is touched the grid is broken, therefore registering the touch on the screen.

Our standard Transparent Touch Screen Solution is our Interactive Transparent LCD, which requires backlighting and housing, with options for 4K UHD image resolution.

We can also offer our 55″ Transparent OLED screen with multi touch capabilities, providing a HD 1080p image with no backlighting or housing necessary.

For projection applications, our Clearview Interactive Projection Touch Foil can be applied to windows to create interactive window displays using through glass touch. For a more versatile screen solution our Interactive Switchable Glass Screens provide a HD/4K image canvas when turned off and a holo effect image when switched to clear.

Choosing the right Transparent Touch Screen is influenced by the screen size, lighting conditions and how you would like to use the screen. If the screen will be used as a product reveal, then our Transparent LCD’s or Smart Glass Touch Screens could be the ideal solution while our Transparent OLED’s are a popular choice which don’t require housing or a backlight.

If you’re creating an interactive window, our Clearview Rear Projection Touch Screen Foil is ideal, allowing customers to interact with the display while still allowing visibility into the store.

Transparent Touch Screens are a great way to combine physical and digital displays without one distracting from the other. They enable in-depth, layered displays that are more likely to leave lasting impressions on your audience.

Over the years we’ve seen our Transparent LCD’s integrated into display cases for live events like the Farnborough Airshow as well as into museum exhibits laying interactive information over the showcased items. One of our favourite applications of Interactive Transparent LCDs was in Nike’s House of Innovation where our TLCDs were used without housing, mounted onto a huge oversized backlight to provide creative wayfinders throughout the flagship store.

We manufacture in Britain and ship worldwide – if you need further information, a pricing quote, or want to discuss ideas for using our Transparent Touch Screens click the link below to contact us, email us via info@prodisplay.com or call us on +44 (0)1226 361 306.

LUMINEQ offers the world"s most transparent touch displays that can be laminated in glass, turning windows and glass doors into interactive smart screens, enabling invisible function controls without a need for extra space.

I saw a really cool video of a PC case called "Snowblind", that had a transparent LCD Screen as a side panel. I was amazed over how cool it was. The only problem was that it was really expensive. Therefore, I tried making my own! In this instructables I will go through how I made it, and how you could make your own. The best of all, since it was made from an old monitor that was thrown away, it was basically free! I just added some LED strips on the inside of the case to get better contrast on the screen. You could probably re-use the monitors backlight, but it"s safer and easier to just get some cheap LED strips.

First, remove the frame of the panel. It is fixed with clips, so just bend the frame a little and lift the frame up. Next, separate the front LCD from the backlight. For the next step, you will have to be careful. This step involves removing the anti glare film. It is glued to the panel, and therefore it"s easy to break the LCD when trying to remove it.

Then you are done modding the LCD! Now, you can hook it up to the panel and test it. Just be careful with the ribbon cables going from the LCD PCB to the panel.

The side panel of this case fits the LCD perfectly. Just line it up to the side facing the back, and to the top, and use some tape to tape it to the glass. Then, use some vinyl on the outside where the LCD is not covering the glass.

It"s really important to have lots of lights inside the case, to make it easier to see the LCD. Therefore, try to fill the case with even more LED strips.

You can now power up the computer, open the screen settings and set it up for dual screens. You might have to flip the display 180 degrees too. When you have done that, open Wallpaper Engine and set a wallpaper of choice!

I have the same problem, I have read on google that the lcd could also be 3,3v (check if you have 3.3v lanes) so i will be trying to solder a sata cable to it because it comes with 3,3 and 5v connectors but the im not sure if save to use sata cables0

Hey I have a little question, I also have a Dell 1905FP, but I think it"s an older model because I don"t have a ribbon cable but a normal cable with a plug. My problem is that I have peeled off one film but it still looks like there is a second film on the back because it is still a little blurry. But I"m afraid that if I try to pull them off, my LCD display will break. Maybe you have an idea. Thanks in advance

Terrific job! May I ask why you would need to remove the front polarizer? If my understanding is correct, both the front and back polarizers are needed in order for the LCD to work properly (i.e., the light gets polarized by the back polarizer first, and then passes through the front polarizer)? You comments will be appreciated!

I tried taking some photos, but I have covered the screen PCB with a cover, so it was hard to see in the photos. I basically just laid it inside the case with a 90-degree angle. I tried drawing it here: (view from the front)0

I used "wallpaper engine" to just set the animations as wallpaper on that screen. I mentioned it in the last step, but I could probably make a own step about that, if you are interested in more details.2

I think you should have more pics and info about the re- mounting the LCD. After all if you don"t do it right all that work is for nothing. While I understand your wiring diagram, I think that it should be explained and a larger part of this Instructible...for example to get white lite your are powering all 3 lanes (red,green,blue) on the RGB tape.

Hello, Wonderfull project, I have the same case and I would love to do it (if I have time and the screen to the right size). Just a question, can you put a photo of the cable connection to see if it"s easy to open the case ? One little suggestion, instead of connecting the panel to the graphic card (which mean to run a cable outside, why don"t you use a USB to VGA or DVI converter (like this https://www.amazon.fr/Adaptateur-convertisseur-adaptateur-Affichage-multi-écrans/dp/B079L81FRD/ref=asc_df_B079L81FRD/?tag=googshopfr-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=227894524041&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17927658121409960098&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9055710&hvtargid=pla-442905712462&psc=1) ?More CommentsPost Comment

This problem occurs because of a hardware limitation that is known as "tearing." Tearing is a video artifact in which the top portion of the screen shows a different frame of video than the bottom portion. This is more noticeable during scenes that contain fast motion. There may be a noticeable horizontal line at the point where the two frames meet.

Screen privacy is a major concern when dealing with sensitive data, and it’s a problem we don’t think enough about. It is surprisingly easy to steal visible data with low-tech visual hacking techniques. Luckily, there are a number of actions you can take right away to resolve data vulnerabilities. Also, you’re not going to want to miss the deep dive into one of the most effective tools: privacy screens for your monitor.

Screen privacy is a problem in an increasingly data-driven society. From online banking and business transactions to social media and personal communications, we access a huge amount of sensitive information through our screens. But have you ever wondered who else is also looking?

To be honest, there are many contexts in which screen privacy is completely unnecessary. Your home computer probably doesn’t need to secure visual data. Nor does a screen in a small team of trusted colleagues in a windowless room.

At its simplest, visual hacking involves just seeing information on a screen and remembering it. Given the prevalence of smartphones, however, it’s not hard to snap a photo or record a video under the pretense of checking a text message. A pretense may not even be necessary. Are you really aware of what everyone is doing on their devices around you at any given time? Did you just look over your shoulder now?

There are plenty of solutions for reducing visual hacking and improving screen privacy. They vary in complexity and not all are universally applicable.

Use partitions or walls around screens. Open office floor plans make visual hacking much easier. Cubicles and offices make it much easier to keep visual data safe by blocking both displays and hard copies from view.

Turn screens away from public view. Whenever possible, keep your displays facing away from public thoroughfares and high-traffic areas to limit exposure.

Keep your desk clear of sensitive documents. Visual hacking targets more than just screens. It can also target paper documents and information. At a minimum, make sure any folders, documents, or notes containing sensitive information are put away.

Get a privacy filter for your computer screen.This is the single action that will do the most good in securing your work from unwanted attention. It is a hardware solution that is easy to implement then maintain with no input besides installation.

A computer privacy screen filter is a thin layer of polarized plastic that significantly reduces the viewing angle for your screen. Ideally, this means that the view of your screen is perfectly clear for you as the user while others off to the sides only see a dark screen. All your visual data is hidden unless you are looking at the screen head-on.

Besides turning off your screen entirely, screen privacy through one of these monitor filters is one of the best ways to safeguard yourself from visual hacking.

A privacy screen is functionally just a screen coating that blocks the light from certain angles. There are a few different ways to install one, however, and each has its own use cases.

Hangerssometimes fix the screen to a monitor or laptop. This makes the filter easy to add and remove. This is a good option for people who sometimes have to collaborate with others and will, therefore, need to periodically remove the privacy filter. Additionally, this version is useful if the plan is to share privacy filters among several devices.

Stick-on tabsare a more permanent way to get screen privacy. The tabs are permanently stuck to the monitor, but the filter itself is removable. This is also a good option for people who have to collaborate without a privacy filter. It’s not as shareable, however, as the tabs are stuck to your device.

Permanent adhesive is an option for use cases that always need extra protection from visual hacking and unwanted attention. Like a phone screen protector, this option is permanently glued to your display and cannot be removed or shared. However, it is a handy set-it-and-forget-it option.

Once your privacy screen is installed, however, it will automatically work to reduce the visibility of your screen to anyone outside the optimal viewing angle.

It’s worth remembering, though that there is not a hard line between visible and hidden, so certain viewing angles will still be able to see some of your screen’s content.

It’s also very important to be very careful in cutting your privacy filter. A good one can be pretty expensive, and scratching or damaging the screen protector will typically void the warranty. Likewise, cutting into a polarizing layer could throw off the image quality.

If it’s absolutely necessary to cut your privacy filter to fit your screen, make sure to measure carefully and use both a very sharp utility knife and a straight edge to make the cut. (You can learn morehere.)

As mentionedabove, if you plan to add and remove your privacy screen periodically, you’re going to want to go with an attachment option that allows for that. If you’ve opted for the permanent adhesive version, however, it will likely be much more difficult to remove.

While most privacy screens include anti-glare coatings, not all anti-glare screens have privacy filters. It’s mostly a matter of convenience: it’s not that difficult to add a basic feature like anti-glare to a privacy screen.

Since privacy features often increase the price of the screen filter, be sure that it’s what you’re actually looking for. If anti-glare is enough for you, there’s no point paying the premium for a privacy filter for your monitor. On the other hand, if privacy is the goal make sure that the filter you’re looking at has al the necessary features to hide your display from prying eyes.

To get the best screen privacy for your visual data, you’re probably going to look for a few key features. These will help you get the most protection with the least effort.

Since the goal is screen privacy, make sure that whatever screen filter you use has very limited viewing angles. For example, ViewSonic’s VSPF series has a viewing angle of just 60°.

While we want to make sure others can’t see the screen clearly, it’s important that the privacy screen doesn’t affect the user’s experience. A high-quality privacy filter screen protector will have virtually no impact on display quality.

Screens now play a leading role in every element of our lives from work to play. We have TV screens in our living rooms, monitors on our desks, and smartphones in our pockets. But we need to remember that our screens are mixed blessings. Without taking proper precautions, our displays represent real vulnerabilities for data theft.

With just a few screen privacy best practices – including a good privacy filter on especially vulnerable devices – we can keep all of our sensitive data safer from visual hackers and other low-tech bad actors. Just a few basic precautions can make a world of difference.

Want to see the difference a good privacy filter makes? Take a look at theVSPF2700for more on ViewSonic’s privacy filter screen protectors (or find one that fits your screenhere.)

Even if you’re the most careful person when it comes to your tech, accidents happen — and seeing a crack on your phone screen after a particularly hard fall can be the difference between a good day and a disastrous one. A good quality phone case can only do so much to help you avoid this fate, and most cases will leave your glass screen vulnerable to damage.

Experts told us screen protectors are an affordable way to prevent screen cracking or shattering when you drop your phone. To help you choose the right screen protector for your phone, no matter which brand or model you have, we consulted a variety of tech experts on the differences in materials, features and application methods for the various protectors available.

Experts like Arthur Zilberman (president of tech repair company Laptop MD), Mac Frederick (owner of Phone Repair Philly), Sean Agnew (a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia) and Sagi Shilo (editor at Tech Gear Talk) shared their favorite screen protectors for various types of smartphone models.The best screen protectors to shop in 2023

Since we don"t test screen protectors ourselves, we rely on expert guidance about how to shop for them. The tech experts we interviewed — Zilberman, Frederick, Agnew and Shilo — recommended each of the following glass screen protector brands and products. Their listed features align with our research, and each one is highly rated.Best all-around screen protector: Spigen

Spigen was a top brand recommended by our experts. Zilberman noted the Spigen EZ Fit tempered glass screen protector is case-friendly and affordable for the quality. He added that its ease of installation also makes it worth considering: It includes an alignment tray that you place on top of your phone screen and press down on to secure the glass in place. You get two screen protectors with each purchase, in case you ever need to replace the first one.

Spigen offers the EZ Fit screen protector for the iPad, Apple Watch and all iPhone models (including the latest iPhone 14 series). It’s also available for some Galaxy watch and phone models, as well as other smartphone models.Best affordable screen protector: Ailun

If you’re looking for a relatively affordable option, Zilberman recommended this tempered glass screen protector from Ailun, which works for the new iPhone 14 as well as the iPhone 14 Pro. It features a clear, water-resistant and oleophobic (or oil-resistant) screen coating that protects against sweat and oil residue from your fingerprints, according to the brand. The box comes with three screen protectors — the downside is that the product includes guide stickers rather than an installation tray, so it may be a little trickier to get the product on your screen.

Ailun screen protectors are currently available for several devices, including Apple’s iPad, Samsung’s Galaxy devices, Amazon’s Kindle and more.Best blue light filtering screen protector: ZAGG

ZAGG, which Frederick recommended due to its “price and value,” offers several durable tempered glass options through its InvisibleShield line, which is available for iPhone devices, Android devices, tablets, smartwatches and more. The one we’ve chosen to highlight works with the latest iPhone 14, as well as iPhone 13 and 13 Pro. The Glass XTR2 protector hides the visibility of fingerprints on your screen and filters out blue light using a protective layer, according to the brand. You can use the included apply tabs and installation tray to best align the protector with your screen, and the brand says it contains an antimicrobial treatment to prevent odor-causing bacteria.Best durable screen protector: Belkin

Agnew noted this Belkin screen protector features a material called lithium aluminosilicate, which is the basis of some glass-ceramic products like shock-resistant cookware and glass-top ranges. The material is double-ion exchanged, meaning it “allows for extremely high levels of residual stress [to] offer great protection against cracking,” Agnew said. However, he added that like most screen protectors, this is not an indestructible product.

Belkin’s UltraGlass protector is available for a variety of iPhone iterations. Belkin offers several highly rated options across devices like Apple’s Macbook and Samsung’s Galaxy devices, too.Best comfort screen protector: Supershieldz

Frederick said Supershieldz is one of his favorite brands for tempered glass phone cases due to the products’ durability and affordability. This pack comes with three screen protectors, all of which are made with high-quality tempered glass. The screen protectors have rounded edges for comfort and feature an oleophobic coating that repels sweat and oil from your fingers, according to the brand.

Supershieldz’s tempered glass screen protectors are available for devices from Apple, Samsung, Google, LG and more.Best privacy screen protector: ZAGG

Privacy screen protectors can be a great option for people who conduct business on their phone or don’t want others to see what’s on their screen — and ZAGG provides several options to choose from across devices from Apple and Samsung. The brand’s privacy protectors, made from a hybrid glass material, add a two-way filter that prevents others from looking at your phone screen when viewed from the side, according to the brand.Should you get a screen protector?

Scratching or damaging your screen is easier than you might think. If you carry your phone in your purse, backpack or pocket with change or keys, the screen “can easily get visible scratches from [those] hard surfaces,” which can “weaken the integrity of the original display and cause cracks more easily,” said Zilberman.

Experts told us screen protectors are the best way to minimize cracks in, scratches on or the shattering of your physical screen. While they vary in price, most aren’t terribly expensive: Plastic ones typically cost less than $15, while glass screen protectors range from around $10 to upward of $50.

Shilo noted it’s also worth investing in a good screen protector to avoid potentially shelling out hundreds of dollars to replace a broken display. Plus, he noted that an intact display is one major factor in determining the value of a used device if you want to resell or trade it in for a newer model in the future.

There are limitations to what a screen protector can do, though: “It isn’t going to cover every square millimeter of the glass display,” said Frederick. The protector also usually won’t protect the back, edges and corners of your phone — the experts we spoke to suggested pairing a screen protector with a heavy-duty case from brands like Otterbox or Lifeproof, preferably one with rubber edges that’ll absorb the impact of a drop and prevent damage.

“People forget that the back of many phones is made of glass, and are shocked at the cost of replacement once the back gets damaged,” said Shilo.What to look for when shopping for a screen protector

When shopping for a screen protector, Shilo recommended looking at features like material, comfort and ease of installation. Zilberman noted that while you can get plenty of high-quality protectors at an affordable price, he doesn’t recommend sacrificing performance for a cheaper option.Material

Screen protectors come in a variety of materials — there are plastics like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), as well as tempered glass (with some even boasting chemically strengthened glass, like Corning’s Gorilla Glass protectors).

Plastic screen protectors can be great for protecting from superficial scratches and similar imperfections, and “they’re cheap and readily replaceable,” said Agnew. Soft and flexible TPU material, for example, has self-healing properties that allow it to sustain low-impact and minor scratches without damaging its composition. Generally, though, plastic films aren’t stiff or strong, so they don’t offer as much protection from high-impact falls and scratches.Comfort and feel

Since we interact with our phones via touch, the feel and comfort of using a screen protector is important to consider. Screen protectors can sometimes change the touchscreen’s sensitivity — certain smartphone models ask you to input whether or not you’re using a screen protector on the device to better calibrate sensitivity, said Zilberman.

Tempered glass is designed to have a smoother feel than other types of screen protectors and won’t affect touchscreen sensitivity, according to the experts we spoke to. Unlike a plastic protector, tempered glass can feel “identical to not having a screen protector at all,” said Shilo.Display

Tempered glass mimics the original display and offers good clarity, whereas plastic screen protectors can create an unsightly glare and affect screen quality by adding a “murkier and grayer hue to your screen,” said Zilberman. Both plastic and tempered glass protectors can feature privacy and anti-glare filters to fit your preferences. However, tempered glass protectors are more physically noticeable on your screen since they’re thicker — a plastic protector blends in remarkably well with the original display, experts noted.Ease of installation

Installing a screen protector can be difficult, especially when there’s a chance of misaligning the protector or having annoying air bubbles and specks of dust lodged underneath the film. Most screen protectors include a plastic installation tray that can go directly over your phone screen to align the protector, or one that holds your phone while you guide the screen on. Some protectors will come with “guide stickers” that show you where the screen protector will lie on your screen, but Shilo said he prefers the trays because they’re easier to line up and don’t require several attempts.Compatibility

According to Frederick, there isn’t much variation in terms of how well a screen protector works from one smartphone brand to another. However, screen protectors do come in different shapes and sizes depending on your phone, so it’s always good to check its compatibility.

The transparent “OLED Display” works like a conventional LED television screen, but with the flick of a button, the screen acts like a transparent windowpane.

Panasonic also showed how the technology can be touch responsive and interactive. For example, they demonstrated the technology on a partially-transparent OLED screen refrigerator door, where users could flick through recipes on the Internet, monitor the fridge temperature, research ingredients, and even see what supplies they have in stock.

As you can see in the top image, the screen is also capable of retaining its transparency while displaying an image at the same time, creating a rather cool live-action cut-out of whatever is on the screen.

Panasonic have kept quiet about the technology behind the screen, althoughreports it is made from “a fine mesh, embedded into the glass sliding door.” Currently, the design is just a prototype, so there’s no word yet on its price. Nevertheless, you should have plenty of time to save up, as it’s expected to be in development for at least three more years.

Under-display cameras are poised to be The Hot New Feature, following up on the similar success of the in-display fingerprint sensor. It almost seems like science fiction: You can"t see the camera, but it can see you. The technology promises to eliminate the last impediment in the all-screen phone dream. But how does it work, and when will you actually be able to buy a phone that has one?

According to Helander, there are two engineering approaches to designing under-display cameras: You either do everything you can to make the entire display as transparent as possible above the camera, or you essentially make tiny transparent holes in an otherwise opaque screen between the pixels.

There are a few limitations to this route: primarily brightness, uniformity, and resolution. Typically, OLED pixels are designed to be reflective on one side and transparent on the other, ensuring most of the light produced goes in one direction: toward you. Making the display transparent in one section interferes with that sort of design, and it can make the area the camera is in look distinctly different and less bright than the rest of the screen. Compensating for that effect by cranking brightness and calibrating differently in that tiny area can result in other long-term issues like burn-in around the transparent camera area. We"re also told that all the rerouting and transparency-increasing steps often mean accepting a lower display resolution in that particular spot — a handful of big pixels in a sea of smaller ones. This is allegedly the approach that ZTE is taking in devices like the Axon 20 5G.

The second method is a little different. Rather than making an entire stack of the display transparent across one area, you can carve out individual transparent "holes" between the pixels and rely on them to transmit light through the screen. You can do this in a few different ways, like cutting down on display resolution to carve out an area for one in every X number of pixels, or just shuffling and rerouting things to make regular patterned spaces.

As before, this means rerouting some components to ensure you have a clear line through the screen, but you don"t have to worry about the whole display stack being transparent, just specific spots at regular intervals. If your resolution is low enough, you can accommodate these extra holes without any loss, but at very high densities, it can also mean giving up some pixels and accepting a lower resolution. Importantly, though, this route means the individual pixels above the camera have the same individual brightness and performance characteristics of the pixels elsewhere on the display, so you shouldn"t have as many issues with uniformity. This second route is what we"re told Xiaomi is planning for its upcoming phones, and it sounds like it may work the best out of the possible solutions available right now.

This also opens a pretty big door for us in the future. Right now, most under-display prototypes just put the camera in the same place and extend the screen to cover it, but nothing is stopping us from using some of these solutions to make the entire display transparent and putting the camera wherever we like. Ultimately, we could move the camera down to the center of the screen, making it easier to keep the effect of eye contact when in video calls, or we could even toss several cameras under the screen in different places. Some day other optical sensors, like the infrared cameras used for face unlock systems, could also be moved under the screen. Eventually, we could do the same with desktop computer monitors, too.

Before this technology can replace the notch or the hole-punch cutout, it needs to be scaled up. And given the sort of engineering costs involved, Helander tells us that, counter-intuitively, we"ll see this technology roll out in the mid-range market first. Right now, sacrifices required when it comes to resolution and brightness mean this technology probably won"t be a good fit in the flagship space for a while, where customers expect the very best. Issues like a big gray square or circle in the screen at max brightness, a resolution drop in one corner, or an overall lower display resolution all won"t play at the thousand-dollar price point, but they"re more acceptable in a mid-range product, and the details of ZTE"s upcoming device lend further evidence to that argument.