Google Pixel 6 could get a major camera upgrade, but this time for selfie snappers rather than an enhanced rear camera array.

A new patent discovered by Patently Apple shows a new Pixel phone design that does not include any visible front-facing camera. In other words, the camera is either absent or hidden under the display.

The ZTE Axon 20 5G took the lead with a selfie camera under the display, but the results were underwhelming. However, the ZTE Axon 20 5G opens up the possibility for other phones to follow suit, and the Pixel 6 is likely to be one of them.

Google's patent, however, does not go into much detail. Therefore, we must make some inferences from the illustrations alone.

The fact that no clear camera is shown suggests that it could be hidden under the screen. At this point, we can only speculate as to what is going on, since the patent does not directly mention a camera under the display.

We have already seen leaked information that the Pixel 5 Pro may have an under-display camera. The images of the purported upcoming phone seem to flaunt the fact that there will be no hole-punch camera, a common feature in many of the best Android phones in 2020.

While the leak does not rule out the possibility of a pop-up camera, the patent's findings suggest that an under-display camera will soon be seen on Pixel phones. The only question is whether it will launch with the Pixel 5 Pro, expected in early 2021, or the Pixel 6.

However, just because a patent has been granted does not guarantee that the feature will be immediately available. So we will have to wait and see what else leaks in the coming months to deduce whether Google has an under-display camera waiting in the wings.

We can only hope that Google's virtual under-display camera technology is much better than ZTE's. The pictures from the front camera were mediocre, especially compared to other phones on the market, such as the OnePlus 8T, which has an excellent selfie camera.

Not too bad for a first attempt, but we expect Google to do a better job, especially given the Google Pixel 5's image processing power.

We will report on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 5 Pro as soon as we have more information.