The Korean tech companies helping Apple were trying to craft under-display cameras (UDC). LG Innotek was starting to build cameras under the display so the front would look smooth without any holes showing up when it's not taking photos.

It wouldn't be as bright as normal front cameras, though. Light gets lost in the screen parts it goes through, which could make photos and videos more dull and dim.

LG Innotek was working on a particular multiple-lens setup with a "freeform optic" part to fix it. This idea aimed to weaken bad optics and boost brightness around the camera module inside. It might help the edges and sides look nicer in photos, too.

The company filed some patents about this in December and likely filed some more as the work continued.

Under-Display Cameras

LG Display, the company that works with LG Innotek, focuses on improving their under-display cameras. They want the light you can see through them to be 20% bright by 2023 and even brighter at 40% by 2024.

This matches what Apple wants for their new iPhones coming out soon. While Apple already got a sample of this tech, it wasn't as good as they hoped.

Before putting cameras entirely under the screens of iPhones for good, Apple plans to start with putting Face ID scanners that you can't see in the iPhone that will come out in 2025.

This iPhone 17 Pro will be the last high-end model that has a cutout hole for its front camera. The expert Ross Young from Display Supply Chain Consultants predicts that Apple will hide the front camera completely under the screen, starting with the "Pro" iPhones of 2027 after switching over.

iPhones With Under-Display Cameras Set to Launch by 2027, But the Tech's Already Here

Everyone has now been talking about phones with cameras hidden under the screen coming out real soon from Apple, but some other companies have already done it.

Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 5 has one built right in, and it's their third phone like that. This Chinese brand ZTE also has one in their Axon 40 Ultra - it's huge at 6.8 inches, and the camera's right where you'd expect the notch to be.

Some phones are ahead of the game with this neat feature, and Apple wants to do it in a couple of years. People will have to wait till 2027 for an iPhone with a cam you can't see.

When not in use, UPC, or under-panel camera, quietly tucks away behind the screen to provide a immersive display when inactive. It increases screen real estate but reduces light reaching the sensor, which affects image quality.

"Freeform optic" multiple-lens technology from LG Innotek aims to mitigate this by enhancing image quality and brightness surrounding the camera.

The fact that LG Innotek is concentrating on patents suggests that this technology is still in the early stages of development.