Smartphones have evolved to become their better versions, and the statement stands true as tech companies are doing a lot more to make smartphones more capable than ever. Heading towards better performance, bigger batteries, and improved usage, smartphones these days seem to be improving. Among them, we have smartphone cameras — and amongst that, we have a new concept of pop-up cameras, and even slider design.
While the term pop-up smartphone or slider phone is something we have heard before, tech companies seem to follow the concept of repeating trends with improvements.
As pop-up cameras and slider smartphones are back and appear to be the tech trends that are here to stay for a while now, I present you with a list of phones with pop-up cameras and slider phones you need to know of in 2019.
Why Pop-Up Cameras or Slider Design?
The sole purpose of a pop-up camera or a slider design is to increase the display area and reduce the bezels present for an edge-to-edge display viewing, which we have all started liking and we now wish for more.
As the front camera and the other sensors either pop up or slide, there is room for more screen space for better viewing.
While I can vouch for the slider design as it could make a mark again, the pop-up camera seems to fail as I am not sure of the durability of its mechanism.
Nonetheless, we see tech trends coming and going every month. Hence, time will give a better answer about whether or not the pop-up camera and the slider design will remain in the tech world.
Also, to clear the air, I am frequently covering lists of smartphones with trending features to ease things out for you which also includes a 48MP smartphone list. Hence, look out for this space for more such articles.
The list begins —
Top 13 Pop-Up and Slider smartphones
1. Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro
USP: 48MP rear camera
The Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro is the most recent smartphone to have a pop-up front camera, rated at 32MP. Three rear snappers (48MP, 8MP, 13MP) act as another highlight too. The smartphone has a Snapdragon 855 processor, a 6.39-inch full-screen display, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of ROM.
The Redmi K20 Pro comes with an eight-layer liquid cooling system, GPU Turbo 2.0, a 4,000mAh battery with 27W fast charging, and an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Price and Availability: Starts at CNY 2,499 in China
2. Realme X
USP: 20W VOOC FlashCharge Tech
The Realme X has a 6.53-inch Full HD+ edge-to-edge display as its main highlight, apart from a 16MP front pop-up camera. The smartphone has two rear cameras (48MP, 5MP). Additional USP is the presence of an in-display fingerprint scanner.
There is a Snapdragon 710 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, up to 128GB of internal storage, a 3,765mAh battery with VOOC fast charging tech, and runs Android 9.0 Pie.
Price and Availability: Starts at CNY 1,499 in China
3. OnePlus 7 Pro
USP: In-Display Fingerprint Scanner
The OnePlus 7 Pro is the most ambitious OnePlus smartphone to date and comes with a full-screen 90Hz Fluid AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 855 processor, three rear cameras, and of course, a pop-up front camera.
The smartphone has up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of inbuilt storage. There is a 4,000mAh battery with Warp Charge 30 fast charging technology, and Android 9.0 Pie.
Additionally, there is an in-display fingerprint sensor and Face Unlock feature.
Price and Availability: Starts at Rs 48,999 in India
4. Huawei P Smart Z
USP: Ultra FullView Display
Huawei recently launched the Huawei P Smart Z with a pop-up front camera. The device has a 16MP pop-up selfie snapper and a combination of 16MP and 5MP, and as a mandate, the device supports AI camera features.
The smartphone has a 6.39-inch Full HD+ Ultra FullView display (courtesy: pop-up camera), a Kirin 710 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of ROM, a 4,000mAh battery, Android 9.0 Pie, and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Price and Availability: €279 in Italy and Spain
5. OPPO Reno 10x Zoom
USP: 10x zoom
OPPO is known to bring about camera-centric smartphones, and it was among the first companies to launch a phone with a pop-up camera. Hence, it had to do the same for its new Reno series, and the first member of the series sports one.
The OPPO Reno has a 16MP pop-up front camera that comes in wedge shape and pops up tilted. The rear snappers are no less; there are three in total, rated at 48MP, 8MP, and 13MP.
The device has a 6.6-inch edge-to-edge display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, a 4,065mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 tech, and an in-display fingerprint sensor, all serving as elements to attract users.
Price and Availability: Starts at CNY 3,999 and is currently available in China
6. Samsung Galaxy A80
USP: ‘New Infinity’ display
The most recent one on the list is the Samsung Galaxy A80 which has a slightly different pop-up camera module. The pop-up camera on the smartphone also rotates, much like the OPPO N3. Therefore, the rear snappers perform the task of a front snapper as well.
When you are required to take a pic, open up the camera app, enable the selfie mode or the primary camera mode, and the camera setup with the help of motors will rotate to click the image.
As for the specs, the Galaxy A80 has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display, an octa-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. Additionally, there is a 3,700mAh battery with 25W fast charging, in-display fingerprint scanner, and Android 9.0 Pie.
Price and Availability: Not Known at the time of writing
7. Vivo V15 Pro
USP: In-display fingerprint scanner
Vivo’s latest pop-up camera smartphone is the V15 Pro, which falls in the mid-segment. Starting with the cameras, there is a 32MP pop-up front camera which elevates once the camera app is launched. The rear snappers are three in number (48MP, 8MP, 5MP). Additionally, there is support for Super Night mode for low-light photography.
The smartphone has a 6.39-inch Full HD+ Ultra FullView display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB inbuilt storage. The battery capacity stands at 3,700mAh battery, and the device runs Android 9.0 Pie.
Price and Availability: Rs 26,990 via Amazon India
8. OPPO F11 Pro
USP: VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 tech
The OPPO F11 Pro gives direct competition to the Vivo V15 Pro, coming under the same price bracket.
The device has a 16MP front pop-up camera along with dual-rear camera setup, configured at 48MP and 5MP. There are AI-based camera features, Night mode, and a Dazzle Color mode.
For the specs, we get a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Panoramic screen, a MediaTek P70 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of ROM, a 4,000mAh battery, and Android 9.0 Pie. For biometrics, we get a fingerprint scanner situated at the back.
Price and Availability: Rs 24,990 via Amazon India
9. Honor Magic 2 3D
USP: 3D camera sensor and in-display fingerprinting
The slider phone by Honor is an enhanced version of the Honor Magic 2 as it comes with a 3D camera sensor for improved 3D scanning and facial recognition.
Optics-wise, the device has six cameras in total; three at the back (16MP, 16MP, 24MP) and three at the front (16MP, 2MP, 2MP).
The smartphone, apart from the camera department, has its highlight in the form of the slider design which makes the device feature in this pop-up and slider smartphones list. The slider design calls for a bezel-less display rated at 6.39-inch being AMOLED Full HD+ in nature.
The smartphone has a Kirin 980 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of internal storage, 3,500mAh battery with 40W fast charging, Android 9.0 Pie, and graphene heat pipe for easy heat dissipation.
Price and Availability: CNY 5,799 in China
10. OPPO Find X
USP: AI-enhanced 3D facial recognition
The OPPO Find X is another slider phone, however, more like a hybrid of a slider and pop-up smartphone. It has two cameras at the back (20MP, 16MP) and a 25MP front snapper which is enabled when the device is slid.
Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, the smartphone has a 6.4-inch Panoramic Arc display with really thin bezels. It has 8GB of RAM, 256GB of ROM, a 3,730mAh battery with VOOC tech, and Android 9.0 Pie.
Price and Availability: Rs 59,990 via Amazon India
11. Lenovo Z5 Pro
USP: In-display fingerprint sensor
The Lenovo Z5 Pro is a budget slider phone which has two cameras at the back, rated at 16MP and 24MP, and a pair at the front (16MP and 8MP) which will be visible when the device slides.
The smartphone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor, 6.39-inch bezel-less display with a screen-to-body ratio of 95.09%, and 6GB of RAM. There are two ROM options: 64GB and 128GB, a 3,350mAh battery and Android 8.0 Oreo.
Price and Availability: Starts at CNY 1,998 in China
12. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
USP: 10GB of RAM and 5G support
Xiaomi didn’t stay behind and jumped onto the slider smartphone bandwagon and brought to us the Mi Mix 3 (it has a 5G variant too) as the Xiaomi slider phone.
Due to the slider design, there is a 6.3-inch Full HD+ bezel-less display, two front cameras in the slider rated at 24MP and 2MP. The rear cameras are also two in number, standing at 12MP each.
The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and comes in four RAM/ROM versions: 6GB/128GB, 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB, and 10GB/256GB. Additionally, there is a 3,200mAh battery with a 10W wireless charger and a rear-placed fingerprint scanner.
Price and Availability: Starts at CNY 3,299 in China
13. Vivo Nex
USP: In-display fingerprint scanner
The Vivo Nex is Vivo’s first pop-up camera smartphone, coming with an 8MP pop-up shooter and a dual rear camera setup, configured at 12MP and 5MP. The pop-up camera ensures a 6.59-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED bezel-less display.
It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 mobile platform, has 8GB of RAM, 128GB internal storage, and a 4,000mAh battery with support for fast charging.
Price and Availability: Rs 39,990 via Amazon India
To remind you, the list is still in the updating process and will change when new smartphones launch, and as my responsibility, I will keep you updated.
