Why Is My Under-Display Camera Producing Hazy Photos In Low Light?

ByJessamine Rowell

Have you ever taken a selfie in a dim restaurant and felt shocked by the foggy, dreamlike result? You are not alone. Thousands of users with under-display cameras notice a drop in sharpness the moment the sun goes down.

That sleek, invisible camera hiding beneath your screen works fine under bright skies. But switch to a moody evening setting, and the output looks washed out, grainy, or covered by a soft mist.

The problem is not your technique. It is a physical barrier. Your camera sits behind a semi-transparent OLED pixel grid. Light must squeeze through tiny gaps between those pixels before reaching the sensor.

Key Takeaways

  • The display itself acts as a physical obstacle between light and your sensor. Tiny openings between pixels diffract light, which creates haze, glare, and softness. This effect gets worse when there is less ambient light available for the camera.
  • Software processing is your best friend, but it needs help. AI image restoration algorithms on modern phones can remove artifacts. However, they work best when you give them stable, well-lit starting material. A shaky hand or complete darkness creates data the AI cannot fix.
  • Cleanliness matters more than you think for UDC cameras. Fingerprint smudges and microscopic dust on the display above the camera lens add an extra layer of diffusion. A quick wipe before shooting can produce an instant, visible improvement.
  • You can bypass the UDC problem entirely on foldable devices. Most foldable phones with an under-display inner camera also have a high-quality front facing camera on the cover screen. Simple habit changes like closing the device for important selfies solve the problem fast.
  • Manual control overrides automatic guesswork in dark settings. Your camera app makes assumptions about lighting. In tricky conditions, switching to Pro mode and manually setting ISO or shutter speed prevents the automatic over-processing that amplifies haze.
  • Post processing tools can sharpen what the hardware missed. Dedicated apps like Snapseed, Adobe Lightroom Mobile, and built-in photo editors offer dehaze sliders and clarity tools. A few seconds of editing can strip away the fog that the display panel created during capture.

Understanding The Physical Barrier Between Light And Your Sensor

Your under display camera hides behind an active screen. That panel is not fully transparent. Engineers reduce the pixel density in that small area to let some light pass through the gaps.

However, these gaps are microscopic. When light waves hit the edges of these tiny openings, they bend and scatter. Scientists call this phenomenon diffraction. In bright daylight, plenty of light floods the sensor.

The camera software can easily ignore the scattered bits. At night, the total light drops drastically. The scattered portion now makes up a larger percentage of the captured signal. You see this as a soft haze or a glowing blur around edges.

Samsung engineers have explained this clearly in interviews about the Galaxy Z Fold series. They note that the camera suffers from flare, saturation loss, blur, and haze because of diffraction artifacts. The display panel itself becomes a textured filter.

It is not a clean lens glass. The sub pixel arrangement also creates color shifts. This is why some low light photos look not only hazy but also slightly tinted. Knowing this physics helps you stop blaming yourself. It is a hardware reality that every UDC device shares.

Pros: You get a seamless, uninterrupted full screen experience with no notch or hole punch. The technology pushes smartphone design forward. Cons: The camera will always fight the screen for light. Low light performance remains the biggest sacrifice for this invisible design.

Clean The Display Surface Above The Camera Lens

You might think your phone screen is spotless. But the area directly above the hidden camera collects oil and dust at a microscopic level. Your ear, cheek, and fingers constantly touch this zone during calls and scrolling.

A thin layer of grime acts like a diffusion filter. Light scatters even more before it reaches the pixel grid. Then it scatters again through the display gaps. This double diffusion makes low light haze significantly worse.

Grab a clean microfiber cloth. Do not use a rough tissue or your shirt. Spray a tiny amount of screen safe cleaner on the cloth, never directly on the phone. Wipe the UDC area in gentle circular motions.

Do this right before you plan to take important indoor photos. You will often see an immediate difference in clarity. Think of it as cleaning fog off a bathroom mirror.

The change can be dramatic. Develop this as a quick habit. A clean display surface gives the software algorithms cleaner raw data to work with during image restoration.

Pros: This fix costs nothing and takes seconds. It applies to every UDC phone model without exception. Cons: It is a temporary fix. The screen gets dirty again within hours. It helps but does not solve the deep diffraction problem.

Add External Light To Reduce The Sensor’s Struggle

Your UDC sensor works hard to collect photons in dim rooms. When the signal is weak, the noise and diffraction artifacts become more visible. You can fix this by adding more light to the scene.

The goal is to give the sensor enough raw material so the hazy artifacts drop below the visible threshold. You do not need professional studio gear. A small LED panel, a ring light, or even a desk lamp pointed toward your face works wonders.

Position the light source slightly above and in front of you. Avoid placing it directly behind your head, which creates silhouette problems. The extra illumination allows the camera to use a lower ISO setting.

Lower ISO means less digital noise amplification. Less noise means the AI restoration does not have to work as aggressively. The result is a cleaner image with far less of that misty glow.

If you often take video calls from a dark home office, invest in a small clip on light. Your colleagues will notice the sharpness jump immediately.

Pros: External light is a hardware level solution that bypasses the screen diffraction problem by flooding the sensor with data. It works for both photos and video calls. Cons: It requires carrying or setting up extra gear. It is not practical for spontaneous outdoor moments at night.

Use Night Mode To Stack Multiple Clean Exposures

Most modern phones with UDC technology include a dedicated Night mode. This feature is not just a gimmick. It captures multiple frames at different exposure levels over a few seconds. Then the software aligns and merges them.

By stacking images, the algorithm separates real scene detail from random noise and fixed pattern artifacts. The haze caused by the display grid often reduces because it appears consistently in every frame while noise gets averaged out.

Hold the phone very steady during Night mode capture. Brace your elbows against your chest. Lean on a wall or a table. The camera needs you to stay still for two to six seconds. Any movement during this window blurs the entire stack.

The output from Night mode will look brighter and sharper than a standard auto shot in the same conditions. Colors may appear slightly more saturated.

This is the computational photography doing its job. Trust the process. For static subjects or selfies where you can freeze for a moment, this mode is your best in-app weapon against UDC haze.

Pros: Built into the stock camera app with no downloads required. Dramatically improves brightness and reduces noise in low light. Cons: Fails completely with moving subjects. Requires a steady hand or a tripod for best results.

Switch To The Cover Screen Camera On Foldable Devices

Many foldable phones that feature an under display camera on the main folding screen also include a high quality punch hole camera on the cover display. This is not a coincidence.

Manufacturers know the UDC technology is best for video calls and casual use, not critical photography. The cover screen camera has no display layer blocking its lens. Light enters directly through clean glass. The difference in low light is night and day.

Close your foldable device when you need a sharp selfie in a dim environment. Use the cover screen as your viewfinder. You get a brighter, clearer image instantly. You sacrifice the large preview screen, but you gain actual photo quality that you can use.

This workflow is especially useful for group selfies at dinner or evening events. The UDC remains perfect for Zoom calls where lighting is decent and you want the full screen for content. Treat the two cameras as tools for different lighting conditions.

Pros: Immediate, dramatic quality improvement with no additional cost or learning curve. The cover camera typically has higher megapixels and better aperture too. Cons: Only available on foldable phones. Closes off the large screen experience during capture.

Master Manual Pro Mode To Control ISO And Shutter Speed

Automatic camera modes make decisions based on average scenes. In low light with a UDC, the auto mode often makes the wrong call.

It might push the ISO too high, amplifying the grain and haze. Or it might select a shutter speed that is too slow, adding motion blur on top of the diffraction blur. Pro mode hands control back to you.

Set the ISO as low as you can manage, ideally between 100 and 400. A lower ISO produces a cleaner canvas. Then adjust the shutter speed to brighten the exposure. A slower shutter lets in more light but demands complete stillness.

Use a tiny tripod or prop the phone against a steady object. You can also manually set focus. Sometimes the UDC autofocus hunts in darkness and misses the target. Tap to focus on your subject, then lock it.

This combination of low ISO, controlled shutter, and locked focus often produces results that shock you. The haze recedes because you stopped the software from overcompensating.

Pros: Gives you creative and technical control over the final image. Reduces the automated processing that exaggerates haze. Cons: Has a learning curve for beginners. Requires patience and a stable shooting platform.

Embrace AI Photo Restoration Apps After Capture

Sometimes you cannot avoid the haze during the shot. The lighting was just too poor. This is where post processing apps save the day.

Modern editing tools now include AI powered dehaze and sharpening features that specifically target soft, foggy images. They analyze the photo and attempt to reverse the scattering effect by boosting local contrast and edge definition.

Apps like Adobe Lightroom Mobile have a dedicated dehaze slider. Slide it to the right and watch the mist recede. Snapseed offers a “Structure” and “Sharpening” tool that enhances fine details without making the image look crunchy.

Google Photos includes a basic “Sharpen” and “Denoise” option. For more advanced needs, Remini uses AI to reconstruct facial details. The process is simple. Import your hazy selfie, apply the dehaze tool, add a touch of sharpening, and export.

The result will never match a clean sensor shot, but it often bridges the gap between unusable and shareable. A few seconds of editing can rescue a memory.

Pros: Works on any photo you have already taken. No need to reshoot. Many powerful options are free. Cons: Cannot completely restore lost details. Over editing can create an unnatural, painted look.

Adjust Your Display Settings Before Shooting

Your phone screen itself emits light. When you take a selfie with the UDC, that light can reflect internally or bleed into the camera sensor path. In a bright scene, this internal reflection is negligible. In a dark room, the screen glow becomes a significant source of stray light. This can worsen the hazy veil over your photos.

Try lowering the screen brightness before capturing a low light selfie. Reduce it to the minimum comfortable level. On some phones, you can also enable a dark mode theme, which turns the camera interface mostly black.

This reduces the total light output from the display edges near the sensor. Another trick involves the camera app’s “flash” setting. Some apps use the screen as a soft flash. While this adds light to your face, it can also flare back into the sensor.

Test with the screen flash off first. Then test with it on. Compare the two results. You will often find that a darker screen surrounding the sensor produces a slightly less hazy base image for the software to process.

Pros: Simple, fast adjustment with no cost. Can be done in seconds before pressing the shutter. Cons: The difference is subtle, not a complete cure. Reduced screen brightness makes framing harder in dark environments.

Use A Tripod And Timer For Absolute Stillness

Low light photography punishes movement. With a UDC, the penalty is doubled because the diffraction pattern shifts with every micro movement.

When the phone shakes, the scattered light paths change across the pixel grid. This adds a secondary blur layer on top of the inherent softness. The result is a photo that looks not just hazy but also completely out of focus.

A small tabletop tripod designed for smartphones costs very little and fits in a bag. Mount your phone and frame the shot. Activate a two second or five second timer. This eliminates the vibration from your finger tapping the shutter button.

Now the camera can use a slower shutter speed without introducing shake blur. The Night mode stacking algorithm also works more accurately because each frame aligns perfectly.

You will notice sharper edges, clearer eyes in portraits, and a significant reduction in the smeared look. For video calls from a desk, a fixed stand keeps the frame consistent and prevents the constant refocusing that softens UDC output.

Pros: Drastically improves sharpness and allows slower shutter speeds for cleaner exposures. **Pros are not limited to UDC; it helps all phone cameras. Cons: Adds bulk to your carry. Not practical for quick, spontaneous moments.

Explore Third Party Camera Apps With Better Algorithms

Your stock camera app uses the manufacturer’s image processing pipeline. Some pipelines handle UDC artifacts better than others. A third party camera app can sometimes bypass certain processing limitations.

Apps that shoot in RAW format give you an unprocessed sensor dump. This RAW file will look dark and flat initially. But it contains all the data without the heavy handed noise reduction that can smear details.

Open Camera is a popular free option that offers manual controls and RAW capture. Adobe Lightroom Mobile includes a built in camera with RAW HDR mode. You capture the scene, then manually apply sharpening and dehaze in the editing tab.

This approach separates the capture from the processing. You decide how much noise reduction to apply instead of the phone guessing.

Some users report that custom GCam ports produce sharper results on certain UDC devices because Google’s algorithms handle diffraction differently. This route requires some research for your specific phone model. But the potential reward is a noticeably cleaner low light photo.

Pros: RAW files preserve maximum detail. You control the processing pipeline. Cons: RAW files take up significant storage space. Requires time and skill to edit properly.

Know When To Accept The Trade Off And Use The Rear Camera

The under display camera serves a specific purpose. It delivers a seamless screen for immersive content. It handles video calls in decent lighting with acceptable quality. But it will never match the rear camera system or even a standard punch hole front camera in extreme low light. Accepting this limitation frees you to find creative solutions.

Ask a friend to take a photo of you using the rear cameras in low light. The rear sensors are much larger and have wider apertures. They lack a display panel blocking them. The image quality difference is enormous.

You can also set up the phone on a tripod, use the rear camera with a timer, and step into the frame. For group shots at night, hand the phone to someone else or use the voice command shutter.

This mindset shift treats the UDC as a convenience tool rather than a primary photography camera. Use it for quick calls and casual snaps in good light. For the serious low light memories, lean on the superior rear camera hardware.

Pros: The rear cameras deliver professional grade low light results. No compromises needed. Cons: You cannot frame yourself easily. It requires help from others or a tripod setup.

Keep Your Phone Software And Apps Updated Regularly

Manufacturers constantly refine their image processing algorithms through software updates. Samsung, ZTE, and other brands that include UDC technology push improvements to the AI restoration models.

These updates can enhance dehazing, sharpening, and color correction specifically for the under display sensor. A phone running year old firmware may be using outdated processing that struggles more with low light.

Check your settings app for system updates at least once a month. Install them as soon as they appear. Do the same for your camera app through your app store. Sometimes a minor version bump includes tweaks to the Night mode stacking logic or the denoising model.

This is especially true for foldable devices, where the UDC is a flagship feature that receives ongoing attention. Read the update change logs when available. Look for terms like “camera stability improvements” or “image quality optimization.”

These silent patches often reduce the haze problem without you changing any habits. Staying current is a passive fix that costs nothing.

Pros: Effortless improvement that happens in the background. Often includes security patches and other benefits too. Cons: You have no control over what the update changes. Rarely, an update might introduce new processing quirks.

Consider The Future Of UDC Technology

The haze problem is not permanent. Hardware and software advances are closing the gap fast. LG Innotek recently announced a next generation under display camera module that uses AI restoration software to achieve ninety nine percent image fidelity compared to unobstructed cameras.

Their technology uses deblur and denoise algorithms to recover sharp visuals in real time. This module targets automotive applications for now, but the innovation will trickle down to smartphones.

Research teams at Nanyang Technological University and Samsung R&D centers have also published papers on dynamic neural networks that reverse diffraction artifacts. These models learn the exact point spread function of a specific display panel and then mathematically undo the blur.

As phone processors get faster, this kind of real time AI correction becomes viable for video calls too, not just still photos. The current generation of UDC is still relatively young.

Think of it like the early days of fingerprint sensors under glass. Early versions were slow and finicky. Today they work instantly. UDC cameras will follow the same path. Your patience and smart shooting habits today will pay off as the technology matures around you.

Pros: The trajectory is clearly positive. Investment in R&D is heavy and global. Cons: You cannot upgrade your existing phone’s hardware. Waiting for the next device cycle requires patience and budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my UDC photo look worse than what I see on the viewfinder before shooting?

The viewfinder preview shows a lower resolution, real time video feed. Your brain perceives this moving image as sharper than it really is. The final photo applies more processing and reveals the true softness. The small preview screen also hides the haze that becomes obvious at full size.

Can a screen protector make UDC haze worse?

Yes, absolutely. Adding an extra layer of glass or plastic over the UDC area creates more surfaces for light to reflect and scatter. If you must use a screen protector, choose one that has a precise cutout for the camera zone rather than covering it entirely.

Does the type of display panel matter for UDC quality?

It matters a lot. OLED panels with a pentile sub pixel arrangement have different diffraction patterns than traditional RGB layouts. Manufacturers tune their AI restoration models to the specific panel in that device. This is why a generic fix does not work across all brands.

Will using flash help reduce the hazy effect?

Using the screen as a flash can add light to your face. But it also creates a bright light source right next to the camera sensor. This can cause internal reflections that worsen the haze. Test it both ways. Often, external ambient light is a better solution.

Is the UDC problem worse on certain phone models?

Yes. Early UDC implementations, like the first generation ZTE Axon or Galaxy Z Fold3, show more haze than newer devices. The Z Fold4 and later models include improved sub pixel arrangements and more powerful NPU based AI restoration that cleans up images faster and better.

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