Essential has never been afraid of innovation, as evidenced by its recently launched ultra-slim phone, and another innovation it seems to work on is a built-in in-display camera.
The company recently patented exactly this, detailing "Optical sensors arranged under the screen of an electronic device."
The patent, uncovered by LetsGoDigital, also includes images showing a fairly conventional headphone shape with the camera positioned at the top center of the screen. However, as the site indicates, it is a "utility patent" rather than a "design patent", meaning the patent is for camera technology only. , while the smartphone shown is for illustration purposes only.
(Image credit: Essential / LetsGoDigital)
In other words, while the featured phone looks nothing like Essential's recently released headset, it is still possible that the phone has this camera.
Whichever phone is used, something likely has it, because it's not even the first patent for a screen camera that the company applied for.
There is no guarantee yet that we will see an Essential phone with such a system, especially since patents are not always used on products. But with many companies now exploring technologies, it is only a matter of time before we start to see phones that hide the camera under the screen. With a focus on innovation, Essential seems quite appropriate.