Pop-up front cameras are an established design to avoid large bezels, 'punch holes' or notches on smartphone fronts. If Xiaomi's latest patent filing is anything to go by the concept could soon be taken to another level, though.
The documentation which was recently authorized by CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) shows a pop-up camera that comes with a lot more camera/lens modules than anything we've seen up to now.
The patent includes three versions, with the most simple one featuring dual-cameras at front and back. The most advanced variant comes with a dual-cam at the front and five modules on the front.
To accommodate all this the pop-up mechanism is wider than on most other smartphones with pop-up cameras but still, image sensors would likely have to be smaller than on more conventional camera setups. As usual, there is no way of knowing if this patent will ever be turned into a final product but it's good to see manufacturers looking at new ways of designing smartphone cameras.
. dpreview.com2020-1-16 19:50