Xiaomi today unveiled its first smartphone with an under-display camera — the Mi Mix 4. Xiaomi’s Mi Mix series has always been about experimenting with smartphone designs, from Mix Alpha with wraparound display to Mix Fold with a foldable screen. Unlike other Mix phones, this year’s Mi Mix 4 tries to look more like a normal smartphone with an edge-to-edge display rather than some fancy display.

Xiaomi’s under-screen camera tech for Mi Mix 4 is quite similar to the OPPO’s under-display camera. Xiaomi calls its implementation CUP — Camera Under Panel. There’s a separate screen on top of the camera that’s different than the phone’s normal edge-to-edge screen. It has a 400 PPI and allows enough light to pass through it for the selfie camera.

Xiaomi describes the new under-screen camera as “virtually invisible.”

The rest of the phone is fully feature-packed. It features a 6.67-inch 120Hz 1080p curved OLED panel. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 888 Plus processor with a clock speed of 3GHz. To support the high-performing CPU, there’s a 4,500 mAh battery inside the smartphone which supports up to 120W wired fast charging and 50W wireless.

On the back is a Samsung HMX 108MP primary camera sensor, the same camera that is in its flagship Mi 11. Supporting the 108MP sensors is the 13MP ultra-wide lens and an 8MP 5x periscope lens.

Xiaomi says Mi Mix 4 will be available to buy for the general public in China, unlike its Alpha. It’s priced at 4,999 yuan (~$770) for an 8GB/128GB model, going up to 6,299 yuan (~$970) for 12GB/512GB. It will be available to pre-order starting tomorrow with Xiaomi confirming the shipping dates on 16th August. There’s no word on international availability just yet.

While Chinese OEMs are trying to find solutions for the under-display cameras, Apple is looking to announce its new iPhone 13 series with a smaller notch next month. For Apple, an iPhone with an under-display camera seems quite far-fetched, at least for now.

What are your thoughts on Xiaomi’s first attempt at the under-display camera? Do you think Apple will launch a smartphone with an under-display camera soon? Let us know in the comments section below!