bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Karen Chiu

This article originally appeared on ABACUS
The latest volley in the raging battle against phone bezels has Huawei recycling an old design that might be more relevant now than it was back in 2015. 
The Chinese tech giant has filed two patents in Europe, as spotted by LetsGoDigital, that both have a similar camera setup. The first one has a back lens that flips up 180 degrees to face the front, serving as a selfie camera. 

The second design is almost identical, except the dual back cameras are aligned horizontally, allowing both to rotate over to the front.

Phone makers have been experimenting with different ways to maximize screen space. One barrier to that goal is the front camera, which has become indispensable in the age of selfies. That’s left phonemakers grappling with the question of where to put the selfie cam besides the top bezel.
There are no shortage of inventive ideas from China. Some have tried to hide the camera inside the body of the phone, having it pop up as needed. Others are hiding it under the screen.

Huawei’s latest patents seem to be another effort toward the same goal. But the design isn’t actually new.
Huawei’s budget sub-brand Honor released a phone in 2015 that also came with a flip-up back camera. And two years before that, Oppo introduced what it called the world’s first rotating camera on the N1 phone. 
More recently, Asus launched the ZenFone 6 with a flip-up camera that looks similar to Huawei’s patented design. Also released this year, Samsung’s Galaxy A80 has a camera module that slides up from the back and rotates between front and back.


For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our award-winning Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.



China claims advance in robotics software with operating system to support domestic chips

Chinese robotics star Agibot adds JD.com as investor, joining Tencent as Big Tech backer

US tech controls make China “more creative,” Zhang says

Chinese, EU semiconductor firms discuss supply-chain security amid ‘bullying’

Huawei Technologies

Huawei’s next smartphone might have a rotating selfie camera

The rear camera is also the front camera. (Picture: Huawei/European Union Intellectual Property Office)

One camera, two purposes. (Picture: Huawei/European Union Intellectual Property Office)

The Samsung Galaxy A80 has a camera that automatically flips between front and back. (Picture: Samsung)


Abacus

Tech

Big Tech

Chinese giant patents two flip-up camera designs similar to ones tested by Samsung, Asus and Oppo
