New kind of camera shows possible future of phones

First it was fingerprint scanners, now it's cameras.

OPPO claims to have cracked the code to squeeze a selfie camera underneath a screen.

You can't buy an OPPO phone that does this - yet - but the shots provided by the company are impressive, showing little to no blur or "glow" from the screen that's presumably on.

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The only other phone that's tried this is the $500 ZTE Axon 20 5G, which I haven't held myself, but reviews were mixed, citing issues with picture quality.

OPPO claims to have solved this in two ways: smaller pixels and better AI.

Essentially, they've shrunk the size of the pixels covering the camera and used thinner, transparent wiring so the lens can see more clearly.

AI then compensates for any blur, glare or diffraction the screen might cause.

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OPPO has been working on this technology since 2018, but has been silent since a 2019 showcase - until today.

We don't know when it'll be included on a phone you can actually buy anywhere in the world, let alone Australia right now.

The company has submitted its first proposed "standards" of under-screen camera technology to the International Electronic Commission - the people responsible for making sure new tech works and is safe.

We've become used to the idea of a hole-punch selfie camera across all devices these days, barring Apple's unacceptably huge "eyebrow" notch.

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Whether under-screen cameras are widely adopted will depend on how it impacts things like security using face-unlock.

Hiding speakers behind screens means audio clarity during calls has taken a hit on some devices like the Google Pixel 5.

If you love a big, full screen though, it's an exciting glimpse into the possible future of phones.