front-facing camera
{{Short description|Sensor on mobile devices designed to record the user}}
{{distinguish|Front-facing camera comedy}}
File:LG P710 Optimus L7 II - CCD front-facing camera with connector-7048.jpg]]
A front-facing camera, commonly known as a selfie camera, is a common feature of cameras, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and some handheld video game consoles. While stand-alone cameras face forward, away from the operator, tablets, smartphones and similar mobile devices typically have a camera facing the operator to allow taking a self-portrait photograph or video while looking at the display of the device, usually showing a live preview of the image. These are called front-facing cameras and are important for videotelephony and the taking of selfies.{{cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/62903/front-facing-camera|title=front-facing camera Definition from PC Magazine Encyclopedia|publisher=pcmag.com|access-date=2015-09-30}}{{cite web|url=http://www.phonescoop.com/glossary/term.php?gid=473|title=Front-Facing Camera definition (Phone Scoop)|publisher=phonescoop.com|access-date=2015-09-30}}{{cite web|url=http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/front-facing+camera|title=Front-facing camera | Article about front-facing camera by The Free Dictionary|publisher=encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com|access-date=2015-09-30}}{{cite web|url=https://www.techhive.com/article/170162/samsung_tl225_tl220.html|title=Samsung Puts LCD Screens on the Front of New Cameras|publisher=www.techhive.com|access-date=2009-08-13|archive-date=2016-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630042223/http://www.techhive.com/article/170162/samsung_tl225_tl220.html|url-status=dead}} Often, the preview image is by default a mirror image, which is more intuitive for most people; this default can be overridden, and in any case the recorded image is not reversed.
History
While not a dedicated front-facing camera, the Casio QV-10 digital camera featured a lens that rotated 180 degrees. Introduced in 1995 it was the first consumer digital camera with a color LCD display. This allowed for the user to point the camera at themself while viewing the LCD display.
Perhaps the first front-facing camera on a hand-held device was the Game Boy Camera, released in Japan in February 1998. The Game Boy Camera was an attachment for Game Boy.{{Cite web|title=Nintendo Game Boy Camera|url=http://www.nintendo.com/gb/gb_camera/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980530121628/http://www.nintendo.com/gb/gb_camera/index.html|archive-date=May 30, 1998|access-date=August 15, 2020|website=Nintendo Game Boy Camera}}
The first front-facing camera phone was the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210, released in Japan in May 1999.{{cite web |title=Camera phones: A look back and forward |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2473084/camera-phones--a-look-back-and-forward.html |website=Computerworld |date=11 May 2012 |access-date=15 September 2019 |archive-date=9 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009064125/https://www.computerworld.com/article/2473084/camera-phones--a-look-back-and-forward.html |url-status=dead }} It was called a "mobile videophone" at the time,{{cite news |title=First mobile videophone introduced |url=http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/ptech/9905/18/japan.phonetv/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020317125804/http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/ptech/9905/18/japan.phonetv/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 17, 2002 |access-date=15 September 2019 |agency=CNN |date=May 18, 1999}} and had a 110,000-pixel front-facing camera. It stored up to 20 JPEG digital images, which could be sent over e-mail, or the phone could send up to two images per second over Japan's Personal Handy-phone System (PHS) wireless cellular network.
Several mobile phones with front-facing cameras were released to Western markets in 2003, including the NEC e606,{{Cite web|url=https://www.gsmarena.com/nec_e606-481.php|title=NEC e606 - Full phone specifications|website=www.gsmarena.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-22}} NEC e616,{{Cite web|url=https://www.gsmarena.com/nec_e616-533.php|title=NEC e616 - Full phone specifications|website=www.gsmarena.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-22}} Sony Ericsson Z1010{{cite web|url=http://www.nerdeky.com/history/sony-ericsson-z1010-%E2%80%93-world%E2%80%99s-first-phone-front-facing-camera|title=Sony Ericsson Z1010 – World's First Phone with a Front-Facing Camera | Nerdeky.Com|publisher=nerdeky.com|access-date=2015-09-30|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022103947/http://www.nerdeky.com/history/sony-ericsson-z1010-%E2%80%93-world%E2%80%99s-first-phone-front-facing-camera|archive-date=2015-10-22}} and Motorola A835.{{cite web|url=http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Motorola-A835_id696|title=Motorola A835 specs|publisher=phonearena.com|access-date=2015-09-30}} The front-facing camera was originally intended for video-conferencing.{{cite news|last1=Quito|first1=Anne|title=Front-facing cameras were never intended for selfies|url=https://qz.com/1104742/front-facing-cameras-were-never-intended-for-selfies/|access-date=26 October 2017|work=Quartz|date=26 October 2017}} The Motorola A920 was released in 2003 as well and may have been the first smartphone with a front-facing camera.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_a920-517.php|title=Motorola A920 - Full phone specifications|website=www.gsmarena.com|access-date=2019-02-11}}
The first iPhone to include a front-facing camera was the iPhone 4.{{Cite web |last=Korn |first=Jennifer |last2=Barbier |first2=Marie |date=2023-09-11 |title=A look back at every iPhone ever |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/11/tech/iphone-timeline/index.html |access-date=2024-07-18 |website=CNN |language=en}}
In May 2017, the Essential Phone introduced the notch - the removal of part of the display to accommodate the front-facing camera. The iPhone X popularized this concept after its introduction in late 2017.
As of 2019, several smartphones incorporate front cameras that pop up from within the smartphone to allocate the area that would be otherwise utilized by notches to the screen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/rip-pop-up-selfie-camera-1094655/|title=RIP pop-up selfie cameras. We hardly knew ye.|first=Tristan|last=Rayner|date=April 4, 2020|access-date=May 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427195452/https://www.androidauthority.com/rip-pop-up-selfie-camera-1094655/|archive-date=April 27, 2020|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/4/10/18304378/samsungs-galaxy-a80-release-date-specs-price-features|title=Samsung's Galaxy A80 is an automated notchless slider with a rotating triple camera|first=Jon|last=Porter|date=April 10, 2019|website=The Verge|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412050956/https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/4/10/18304378/samsungs-galaxy-a80-release-date-specs-price-features|archive-date=April 12, 2019|url-status=live}} Under-display cameras are under development, which would place a camera under a special display that would allow the camera to see through the display.{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidcentral.com/want-under-display-cameras-sorry-burst-your-bubble-says-xiaomi|title=Want under-display cameras? Sorry to burst your bubble, says Xiaomi|date=January 30, 2020|website=Android Central}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/oppo-under-display-camera-tech-innovation-day-1065024/|title=Oppo's under-display camera means we can finally stop arguing about notches|date=December 11, 2019|access-date=May 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410052418/https://www.androidauthority.com/oppo-under-display-camera-tech-innovation-day-1065024/|archive-date=April 10, 2020|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/12/11/hands-on-with-oppos-under-display-camera-prototype/|title=Hands-on with Oppo's under-display camera prototype|date=December 11, 2019|access-date=May 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428024809/https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/12/11/hands-on-with-oppos-under-display-camera-prototype/|archive-date=April 28, 2020|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://9to5mac.com/2020/02/28/under-display-camera/|title=Second proof of concept of under-display camera, but won't come to iPhone soon|first=Ben|last=Lovejoy|date=February 28, 2020|website=9to5Mac|access-date=May 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301200017/https://9to5mac.com/2020/02/28/under-display-camera/|archive-date=March 1, 2020|url-status=live}}