Several Chinese smartphone manufacturers are reportedly developing new models that combine under-display front cameras with advanced 3D facial recognition, a combination not yet seen in commercial devices.
According to a report by Digital Chat Station, a known industry tipster, internal testing is underway on Android devices that aim to support 3D facial scanning without a visible camera module. This could be an attempt to compete with Apple’s Face ID, which remains one of the few mainstream examples of 3D facial recognition in mobile devices.
While the report did not name specific manufacturers or models, it aligns with previous trends in the Chinese smartphone market, where brands such as ZTE and Honor have experimented with both 3D sensing and under-display camera technology, albeit separately.
Honor’s Magic 7 Pro is among the few Android phones currently offering 3D face recognition. On the other hand, ZTE has released several phones under its nubia line with under-display selfie cameras, such as the Z70S Ultra. However, a single device that merges both technologies has yet to hit the market.
Integrating 3D face recognition into a display without compromising accuracy remains a major technical challenge. These systems typically rely on infrared sensors and structured light projection, components that are difficult to embed invisibly beneath the display.
Additionally, under-display selfie cameras have typically lagged behind traditional selfie cameras in terms of image quality. It remains to be seen how this new tech will address these challenges.