Why did the “elevating camera” disappear after being popular for only one year?

In recent years, the development of mobile phone screen-to-body ratio has reached a bottleneck. No matter how much the hardware has improved, it still cannot satisfy users' ultimate pursuit of mobile phones. Designers always try their best to pursue breakthroughs, designing curved screens, bangs screens, hole-punch screens, and water-drop screens, but they still do not change the existing status quo of mobile phones. Later, a solution that can break through the front pattern and get closer to 100% full screen was designed, that is, the lifting camera.

Why did the once-popular lift camera disappear after only one year?

The originators of pop-up camera models such as OPPO Find X and vivo NEX did attract a lot of attention when they first came out. The screen-to-body ratio of pop-up camera models is very high, and is significantly larger than the notch screen and the punch-hole screen.

Another reason for the popularity is that the appearance of the bangs screen and the hole-punch screen has indeed caused resistance among some consumers. They are somewhat disgusted by the "incomplete screen". The lifting camera design has become a huge turning point. It can be said that it was popular for a whole year in 2018, but in 2020, this design gradually disappeared from people's sight.

Why did the once-popular lift camera disappear after only one year?

The lifting camera design solves the problem of screen aesthetics. The phone no longer looks awkward like the notch screen or the punch hole screen. The mechanical operation of the camera "rising and falling" is full of technology. However, this design is a double-edged sword in a sense. It can be said that in order to achieve it, the phone will make trade-offs in many configurations.

Why pop-up cameras will eventually go away

With the advent of the 5G era, the weight of the fuselage increases

Those who are familiar with the mobile phone industry should know that the weight of mobile phones has increased significantly this year. This is because 5G mobile phones consume more power than 4G mobile phones, so they need larger batteries. At the same time, 5G modules are also larger than 4G modules, so this year manufacturers have come up with a lot of tricks to "control weight."

Let’s first take a look at the models that use a lifting structure (weight and thickness data are from the official website):

OPPO Find X: 186g, 9.6mm

OPPO Reno: 185g, about 9mm

vivo NEX: 199g, 7.98mm

vivo X27: 190g, 8.95mm

Redmi K20 Pro: 191g, 8.8mm

OnePlus 7 Pro: 206g, 8.8mm

Samsung A80: 220g, 9.3mm

Several models that did not adopt the lifting structure in the same year:

Samsung Galaxy S10+: 175g, 7.8mm

iPhone Xs Max: 208g, 7.7mm

Xiaomi Mi 9: 173g, 7.61mm

Huawei P30 Pro: 192g, 8.41mm

Meizu 16s: 165g, 7.6mm

Given the different screen sizes of these models, they also have a significant impact on the weight, but in general, phones with a lift structure are usually much heavier than those without a lift structure.

The reason behind this is not hard to understand. Since the camera is hidden, extra space must be reserved inside the body to place the removable mechanical module. Even if it is not affected by the mechanical structure, in recent years, manufacturers have returned from metal to glass, in addition to large batteries, multiple cameras and wireless charging modules, all of which increase the weight and thickness of the phone to a critical point.

In addition, mobile phone manufacturers are now vigorously developing the camera function of mobile phones, so the camera modules are getting bigger and bigger. If a mechanical lifting structure is added, it will become even heavier. This year's mobile phone film plus protective case may exceed about 230 grams. If a mechanical lifting structure is added, its weight can only be reduced by replacing the frame or rear glass with thinner materials (such as plastic, leather, etc.), which undoubtedly adds a difficulty to the R&D team.

It is not easy to achieve IP68 dust and water resistance

Although the mechanical lifting structure does not explicitly state that it is not waterproof, all mobile phones that use this structure from last year to this year cannot achieve this. In other words, it does not specify IP67 or IP68 waterproofness. Therefore, everyone concludes that the lifting camera may not be friendly to waterproofing. In order to increase the waterproof selling point, it is reasonable to remove the lifting camera. After all, there are trade-offs.

Why did the once-popular lift camera disappear after only one year?

More parts may lead to more repair difficulties

The front camera has a certain degree of maintenance cost and failure rate, especially for models that have been used for more than two years. Although the frequency of such system bugs is not high, it does exist, so it is not as convenient as mainstream models with non-lifting cameras.

As for the repair price, since the editor did not find the repair price of the lifting camera, I looked at the lifting camera components on Taobao and found that they are about 30 yuan. This hardware price is actually within an acceptable range.

The lifting camera only solves the present, not the future

The pop-up camera is not the best choice for smartphones. Even Apple and Samsung still tend to use the notch screen and hole-punch design on their flagship phones. This is their trade-off between functionality and experience, and there are trade-offs and sacrifices.

Of course, this is not a question of who is better. Each is a stopgap measure, and the entire industry is waiting for a huge turnaround brought about by more advanced technology.

Why did the once-popular lift camera disappear after only one year?

The final form of the smartphone is still to maintain the integrity of the phone: it may be without holes, or all components may be hidden. With the under-screen camera technology, there is no need to worry about the conflict between the screen and the front camera.

Before any technology is commercialized, this is just our imagination. There is still a fundamental difference between the technology used in the laboratory and mature mass production. The lifting camera design is a manifestation of unwillingness to compromise "missing a piece of screen". It is not the best solution for smartphones, but at least so far, it is still the best choice for pursuing a true full-screen mobile phone, and it is also one of the weights that can win market competition.

By relying on phased technological advancement, manufacturers ensure that they can also gain differentiated advantages in a homogeneous market and continue to wait for the emergence of more mature technologies, zigzagging forward by constantly repeating this process.

There are indeed such examples in the market. OPPO and vivo, the two earliest manufacturers of lifting cameras, have satisfied many users who don’t like special-shaped screens such as bangs and holes with their unique designs, and have successfully attracted a wave of new fans and users to pay attention to their products.

As the largest member of the digital category, the past development history of mobile phones has never determined that the form must be single. The lifting camera is just one of many ways, and this will inevitably be a transitional stage, linking the past and the future. The past and the future will pave the way for future research and development.

Final Thoughts

In fact, for me personally, I still prefer the lifting camera, because it can bring a display effect close to 100% screen-to-body ratio. Compared with the punch-hole screen, water drop screen, and notch screen, the appearance is also neater and more beautiful, with higher integration and better visual effects. The disadvantages are also quite obvious. I hope that the under-screen camera technology can be more mature in the future and go commercial soon. Then I will have enough reasons to "spend money" and change my mobile phone.