Xiaomi outlined plans to introduce an under-screen front camera in smartphones in 2021, part of a bid to used advanced features to boost sales of its higher-tier devices.

The company broke cover on its work to design an under-screen camera in mid-2019, when several challenges regarding screen quality were highlighted.

In a statement, it explained it is now able to maintain the “brightness, colour gamut and colour accuracy” on the part of the display above the camera, without any reduction in the module’s capabilities.

It said the approach fully hides the front camera “without ruining the edge-to-edge display effect”.

Xiaomi linked the feature to a push into the premium-tier of the smartphone market, stating cutting-edge technologies will position its device “at the centre of the high-end”.

The vendor this week stated shipments of its premium-oriented smartphones priced €300 and over were on the up, with a 99.2 per cent year-on-year rise in shipments during Q2.

However, ZTE looks set to take the honours in terms of being first to market, with several reports stating its Axon 20 5G smartphone featuring an under-screen camera is due on sale on 1 September.

Chinese rival Oppo is also making headway, reportedly showing a prototype device in December 2019.