Last update: 24 April – For several years, Xiaomi and Elliptic Labs have been actively collaborating on the development and implementation of the so-called virtual proximity sensor. A modification that became necessary with the advent of full-screen smartphones, whose design does not allow the use of traditional sensors.
But this modification has led to a string of complaints from owners of Xiaomi smartphones with these new sensors. And because, let’s face it, having a malfunctioning proximity sensor is one of the most annoying things that can be on a smartphone.
For this reason, I have compiled a list of smartphones that have this type of sensor, in order to help you understand if your model could encounter the same issues.
Added vivo V70, POCO X8 Pro, POCO X8 Pro Max, Honor WIN, Honor WIN RT, Honor Power 2, Honor 600 Lite, Honor 600 and Honor 600 Pro.
Let’s start with the basics. The proximity sensor is the part of the smartphone responsible for determining whether something is approaching the screen. Do you remember when, while making calls, you bring the smartphone to your ear and the display turns off by itself?
This is possible only thanks to this sensor. And the same thing happens, for example, when listening to voice messages on WhatsApp, Telegram or Messenger. The moment the sensor detects the proximity of the face, it turns off the screen but more importantly, it routes the audio from the speaker to the earpiece for greater privacy.
The same applies to the so-called Pocket mode: with some smartphones, slipping them into your pocket with the screen on, the sensor blocks the touch screen and prevents any unintentional touches.
In the past, the proximity sensor was hardware-based and worked by emitting an infrared signal. When this signal was interrupted at a given distance, the smartphone understood that something was approaching and acted accordingly. But as anticipated, the rise of full-screen smartphones has meant that the space for these sensors has shrunk to the bare minimum.
It was 2016 when Xiaomi launched the first Mi MIX, whose tri-borderless screen prevented the use of traditional sensors. And it was on that occasion that Xiaomi began collaborating with Elliptic Labs, a Norwegian company that provided the virtual sensors that also characterized the subsequent models of the MIX series.
Elliptic Labs’ proximity sensor is called INNER BEAUTY and it is an AI virtual sensor. Trying to search on the manufacturer’s site, we don’t find details about its exact operation. But a quick look at social media reveals a whole range of videos showing how Elliptic Labs’ technologies revolve around the world of ultrasound.
Let’s look at technologies of this kind that replace the normal operation of the touch screen, allowing interaction with it without touching it physically.
As mentioned, there are no official details about how the virtual proximity sensor works, but by looking into the community you can reach a conclusion. Its operation occurs through a blend of various hardware and software components.
Starting from the earpiece capsule, which sends a ultrasound signal that, when it bounces off the face, is reflected and received by the microphone of the smartphone, which captures it and processes it. Meanwhile, the smartphone analyzes the data from the gyroscope: if the smartphone is in portrait mode, the screen is turned off.
You will understand for yourselves that this presents us with limitations: using the smartphone while lying down or in motion, the gyroscope data could be interpreted in an unintended way.
Below you’ll find a list of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones officially equipped with the virtual proximity sensor. It is based on the models listed on Elliptic Labs’ site, which, however, tends to speak almost exclusively about those released on the Global market; therefore almost all devices presented only in China are missing.
We have also added other brands, in order to provide a complete overview.
XIAOMI
REDMI
POCO
BLACK SHARK
VIVO
IQOO
HONOR
OPPO
ONEPLUS
MOTOROLA
TECNO
INFINIX
SMARTISAN
LAVA
TCL
Given their nature, getting the virtual proximity sensor to work properly on Xiaomi smartphones isn’t easy. I refer you to the dedicated article where you’ll find several methods that could help you.
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