4 ms·

Laptop cameras are terrible because they are embedded in screens, and laptop screens are very thin. It's a physics issue, not a cost one. The Surface can have a

by necubi 6y ago

Laptop cameras are terrible because they are embedded in screens, and laptop screens are very thin. It's a physics issue, not a cost one. The Surface can have a better camera because the screen is the thick part (although this makes it a much worse as a laptop).

franga2000 6y ago
My laptop screen is about as the same thickness as my phone (OnePlus 3), which has a front-facing camera that is unimaginably better than the one in my laptop. The border on the top of the screen is also wide enough to fit it and in fact the camera inside of the laptop is only marginally smaller than the one in my phone (I've unfortunately had to take both apart enough times that I'm quite certain of this). It's definitely not a physics issue. Just like the painfully slow barely USB 2.0 SD card reader that laptops include, despite costing a couple grand and having a 20Gpbs link literally right next to it, it is a cost issue.
- megablast 6y ago
  I’m Confused why you keep your magical laptop screen a secret??
  - franga2000 6y ago
    What?
- ksec 6y ago
  >My laptop screen is about as the same thickness as my phone (OnePlus 3) OnePlus 3 is 7.4mm thick. You will have to measure your laptop screen thickness. Most Modern laptop dont have a lip that is anywhere near that.
  - franga2000 6y ago
    Just took some calipers to my 2017 Lenovo Yoga and the screen (glass to aluminium) is just over 6mm, so I was off by quite a bit. I also measured a similarly old but low-end Lenovo laptop I had around and and some 2019 HP business laptop and both were close to 7mm. But the OP3 is also not the thinnest device these days. I know both Samsung and Apple have made flagship devices 6.9mm thick and their cameras were excellent. I've read about 5mm phones as well, but I don't know a thing about their cameras (I'd imagine still better than most laptops though). And besides, even if there was no way to fit a decent camera in 6mm, I'm certain most business users couldn't care less about a an extra mm of thickness or even a small bump on the back of the screen if it meant that they'd be getting actually usable video out of their absurdly expensive laptops.
    - ksec 6y ago
      Here [1] is the image of a 2017 Yoga I find. I dont know how that is 6mm thick, and not width. Considering the Whole Laptop thickness is only 17mm. The thinnest part of MacBook Air ( It is a Wedge Shape ) is 4.1mm. That is both the base and the lid combined. The old MacBook Pro lid I have now is only 3mm thick, Glass to Aluminium back. Basically we are talking about fitting a camera on top of a circuit board with under 2mm of space. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Touchscreen-Bluetooth-Fingerprint/dp/B072Y97XX7 https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Touchscreen-Bluetooth-Fin...
blowfish721 6y ago
I for one would not want a 4k fron facing camera on a laptop for video calls even if it was possible. 720p is perfect in my book, people don’t need to see every pore in my face or my nosehairs when on a call.

by necubi 6y ago

franga2000 6y ago

My laptop screen is about as the same thickness as my phone (OnePlus 3), which has a front-facing camera that is unimaginably better than the one in my laptop. The border on the top of the screen is also wide enough to fit it and in fact the camera inside of the laptop is only marginally smaller than the one in my phone (I've unfortunately had to take both apart enough times that I'm quite certain of this). It's definitely not a physics issue. Just like the painfully slow barely USB 2.0 SD card reader that laptops include, despite costing a couple grand and having a 20Gpbs link literally right next to it, it is a cost issue.

megablast 6y ago
I’m Confused why you keep your magical laptop screen a secret??
- franga2000 6y ago
  What?
ksec 6y ago
>My laptop screen is about as the same thickness as my phone (OnePlus 3) OnePlus 3 is 7.4mm thick. You will have to measure your laptop screen thickness. Most Modern laptop dont have a lip that is anywhere near that.
- franga2000 6y ago
  Just took some calipers to my 2017 Lenovo Yoga and the screen (glass to aluminium) is just over 6mm, so I was off by quite a bit. I also measured a similarly old but low-end Lenovo laptop I had around and and some 2019 HP business laptop and both were close to 7mm. But the OP3 is also not the thinnest device these days. I know both Samsung and Apple have made flagship devices 6.9mm thick and their cameras were excellent. I've read about 5mm phones as well, but I don't know a thing about their cameras (I'd imagine still better than most laptops though). And besides, even if there was no way to fit a decent camera in 6mm, I'm certain most business users couldn't care less about a an extra mm of thickness or even a small bump on the back of the screen if it meant that they'd be getting actually usable video out of their absurdly expensive laptops.
  - ksec 6y ago
    Here [1] is the image of a 2017 Yoga I find. I dont know how that is 6mm thick, and not width. Considering the Whole Laptop thickness is only 17mm. The thinnest part of MacBook Air ( It is a Wedge Shape ) is 4.1mm. That is both the base and the lid combined. The old MacBook Pro lid I have now is only 3mm thick, Glass to Aluminium back. Basically we are talking about fitting a camera on top of a circuit board with under 2mm of space. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Touchscreen-Bluetooth-Fingerprint/dp/B072Y97XX7 https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Touchscreen-Bluetooth-Fin...

blowfish721 6y ago

I for one would not want a 4k fron facing camera on a laptop for video calls even if it was possible. 720p is perfect in my book, people don’t need to see every pore in my face or my nosehairs when on a call.