48

I have never taken a selfie in my entire life. The feature is entirely pointless for me. Are there any smartphones that don't have a front facing camera?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Mane25@feddit.uk 33 points 1 year ago

I don't think of it as a selfie camera, I think of it as a camera for video calls.

[-] between2boobies@lemmynsfw.com 16 points 1 year ago

For me it's a giant hole in my screen that doesn't serve any purpose.

[-] stebo02@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago

It has purpose. The billionaires use it to spy on you

[-] Hyperreality@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

It's often also used to detect if you're holding it to your ear, which allows the phone to switch off the screen when you're in a call.

[-] CrystalEYE@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago

@Hyperreality @stebo02 no, there are extra proximity sensors for that feature.

[-] onepinksheep@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

~~Not always. More and more phones in the budget range utilize a "virtual" proximity sensor which actually uses the camera for the same function.~~

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] stebo02@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

i thought that was just the gravity sensor (holding the phone vertically vs slightly tilted)

[-] onepinksheep@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

You're thinking of the gyroscope, but no. Some phones have a dedicated proximity sensor for things like detecting if you're in a call and have the phone up to your ear, but more and more phones (especially the budget ones) these days use a "virtual" proximity sensor which utilizes the front camera to perform the same function.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] yunggwailo@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

look, if you cant figure out what to do with holes thats your problem

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] asphaltkooky@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

No mass market phone will come without selfie camera. And any special purpose phones will be too expensive. Maybe just buy one without notch and put a tape on it?

[-] jesterraiin@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Just don't use it, or put some sticker on it.

[-] zen_symian@lemmy.fmhy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

yea, but you're still paying for it

[-] jesterraiin@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

You're not. You're getting it as a free bonus to the personal pocket computer that also has all the phone functions and some more.

[-] between2boobies@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 1 year ago

I'd rather not have it at all tbh.

[-] else@lemmy.fmhy.ml 12 points 1 year ago

Not sure why it bothers you so much. Any benefit you'd have by not having it is practically negated by your limited choices for phones.

[-] between2boobies@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 1 year ago

Like I said, it's a feature I never use. The selfie camera is completely pointless for me and I'd rather not have it.

[-] else@lemmy.fmhy.ml 9 points 1 year ago

This is like saying you don't want an apartment/house with a bathtub because you don't take baths. Most people choose based on features they want regardless if it has one feature they won't use. It's just not generally worth the tradeoff of limiting your options when it's such a common feature. If you absolutely can't use a phone with a front facing camera though, then good luck with your search (genuine, not sarcastic).

[-] between2boobies@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 1 year ago

I think it's more like putting selfie cameras in computer monitors. That would also be a completely useless feature for me.

[-] ABCDE@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Which happens with laptops.

[-] between2boobies@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 1 year ago

Yep, it's so hard to find a laptop without a camera too.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] jesterraiin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Put a sticker on it and pretend it does not exist.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] pm_me_your_trash@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

How about the Asus Zenfone 7 Pro it had a flip around camera which made the normal camera the selfie cam aswell. Or maybe the Xiaomi Mi 9T not really without a front camera but it had a pop up camera so you won't see it when you don't use it.

[-] between2boobies@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 1 year ago

They look pretty interesting, but they were released 3-4 years ago. Is there anything more recent?

[-] CrystalEYE@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

@between2boobies
@pm_me_your_trash
I am currently using the Xiaomi Mi 9T for the exact reason that it was one of the last phones to not have a hole in the display for the camera.
Yes, Xiaomi stopped giving it software updates, but you can install Lineage OS if you want to upgrade to newer Android versions.
Apart from that the phone still runs very smooth with everyday use and there is not much I am missing.

[-] domi@lemmy.secnd.me 10 points 1 year ago

Not exactly the same but I bought a used OnePlus 7 Pro when they started cutting holes in my display.

It has a pop up selfie camera so you can a) see when it is active and b) don't have any notches on your screen.

Also makes for a great party gag.

[-] ZeroTemp@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I miss my OnePlus 7 Pro for this and for just being an all around amazing phone. It's a shame OnePlus didn't continue with that pop up selfie cam on their devices.

[-] DustyNipples@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I wish the popup feature went mainstream, I too dislike a peephole in my screen.

I wonder if they didn't catch on because it made spying on people more difficult.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] Flicsmo@rammy.site 3 points 1 year ago

I'm typing this on my Xiaomi Mi9T which also has a popup camera. This phone is on its last legs, I'm not looking forward to having to get a new one with a typical selfie camera. A popup camera just makes so much more sense.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] kratoz29@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

My phone, Poco F2 Pro has a motorized selfie camera, and as I barely use it it is almost as if it didn't have one.

It is awesome to have a full display of 6.67" with no notches or punch holes of any sort.

[-] speck@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

In a similar vein, the One Plus has a selfie camera which retracts. For all intents and purposes as close as you'll get

[-] ekky43@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 year ago

The retractable cameras are fun, as you always know when an app uses it.

I've had it two times now, that I sat on the shitter and wanted to search something on the builtin chrome browser, and voila! Front cam pops up!

Wasn't even anything with video or images.

[-] ladymethis@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

My pixel has a setting that displays a green dot in the notification/status bar whenever an app is utilizing my camera/microphone. And I can disable that for each app that I don't want to access my camera.

[-] speck@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

Yup, one of the perks!

[-] kratoz29@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago
[-] YMS@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I believe it's only the 7 Pro and the 7T Pro, and I also believe they're both no longer sold and out of support.

[-] totallynotarobot@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

How do you check for stuff in your teeth tho

[-] CarlsIII@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

If we’re lucky, someone might eventually invent some sort of reflective wall we can look at

[-] totallynotarobot@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Personally I don’t always carry a mirror but snark noted

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] GoldenSpamfish@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 year ago

I use my front facing camera to see under things all the time. It's very useful, even though I don't take selfies. I'm an engineer though so I probably spend more time looking under things than most.

[-] DessertStorms@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I was actually looking for the same thing - having a camera constantly pointing at me gives me anxiety (to the point where I've perfected the "cover hold" where I always have part of my thumb covering it), but gave up when I realised the compromises on other features I would need to make in order to get a phone without one (in the case of the Poco F2 Pro - an IP rating).

So I bought a "regular" phone and I'm now instead waiting for a delivery of some vinyl camera cover stickers, you can get them pretty cheap online (if you want to avoid amazon you might need to look a little harder, but they are available). My only concern is the other sensors in the camera notch that might be impacted (the always on display thinking the phone is in bag/facing down and not displaying for example), but am hoping I can find workarounds for those issues.

Privacy in general isn't something phone manufacturers are going to be catering for since they make a ton of their money selling data and/or access to it, so it'd be counterproductive in their eyes.

Which I know isn't really what you were asking, but I thought I'd let you know in case you came to a similar conclusion as me.

[-] FaceDeer@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

You could go to a cell phone repair joint and ask them to physically disconnect the camera's data connections, or if that's not easy (perhaps it's soldered directly onto the motherboard) they could break the camera for you in a controlled manner. Probably wouldn't cost much for an expert to shove a needle into exactly the right place.

[-] DessertStorms@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Seems like overkill in my case, but maybe perfect for some.

[-] OrkneyKomodo@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 year ago

Unfortunately, the target market is largely one of narcissists.

[-] ABCDE@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Or, I actually like to take a photo of myself and my partner somewhere without having to ask someone once in a while.

[-] cccc@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

It’s not smart but I remember there used to be a flip model of LG than had the camera in the hinge and you could roll it to either side.

[-] jet@hackertalks.com 2 points 11 months ago

You could get a fair phone and remove the camera.

[-] livus@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I know the Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 Lite didn't have one but it's an old phone.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
48 points (100.0% liked)

No Stupid Questions

34333 readers
1222 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS