What is this red light on Nexus 5X beside the camera?

I was cleaning my one month old Nexus 5X with a Falalin cloth (which basically never leaves a scratch) when I noticed this black glass surface beside the camera (see the attached image). I cleaned it but it left scratches very easily. On further inspection, I found that there is a weak red light emitted from here when the camera is on.
What is this thing? And why is the glass surface so weak as to leave scratches when none other surface seems to be effected by my cleaning?

Thanks in advance :)

Originally Posted by AC Question

I was cleaning my one month old Nexus 5X with a Falalin cloth (which basically never leaves a scratch) when I noticed this black glass surface beside the camera (see the attached image). I cleaned it but it left scratches very easily. On further inspection, I found that there is a weak red light emitted from here when the camera is on.
What is this thing? And why is the glass surface so weak as to leave scratches when none other surface seems to be effected by my cleaning?

Thanks in advance :)

There is no attached image

Posted via the Android Central App

This is the image. Sorry I forgot to attach it previously.

https://postimg.org/image/x8dzlcxav/

Hi. Sorry I forgot to attach the image. Updating the question in a reply.

Originally Posted by u_581

This is the image. Sorry I forgot to attach it previously.

https://postimg.org/image/x8dzlcxav/

What you are seeing is the laser auto focus !

Posted via the Android Central App

Originally Posted by AC Question

I was cleaning my one month old Nexus 5X with a Falalin cloth (which basically never leaves a scratch) when I noticed this black glass surface beside the camera (see the attached image). I cleaned it but it left scratches very easily. On further inspection, I found that there is a weak red light emitted from here when the camera is on.
What is this thing? And why is the glass surface so weak as to leave scratches when none other surface seems to be effected by my cleaning?

Thanks in advance :)

I also don't think it's glass covering that ,I believe with 90% certainty that it is plastic. My friend has a 5x as well and his is scratched to hell .

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Originally Posted by u_581

This is the image. Sorry I forgot to attach it previously.

https://postimg.org/image/x8dzlcxav/

Welcome as a new member. :)

It must be the infrared laser focussing aid, the cover of which is plastic. My G4 has one. I doubt that a few scratches would affect it enough to matter.

Originally Posted by belodion

Welcome as a new member. :)

It must be the infrared laser focussing aid, the cover of which is plastic. My G4 has one. I doubt that a few scratches would affect it enough to matter.

That must be it. But I don't understand how I can see it if it is infrared? And aren't infrared supposed to be very weak? Like in older phones when we had to hold them together to get infrared transfer to work.
But I suppose these are questions for another forum.

Originally Posted by u_581

That must be it. But I don't understand how I can see it if it is infrared? And aren't infrared supposed to be very weak? Like in older phones when we had to hold them together to get infrared transfer to work.
But I suppose these are questions for another forum.

They are pretty hard to see ,but not completely invisible. For example if its dark enough or if I catch it right I can see the infrared sensors on my Moto x

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So I'm not the only one :)

Originally Posted by u_581

So I'm not the only one :)

Nope!

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Originally Posted by u_581

That must be it. But I don't understand how I can see it if it is infrared? And aren't infrared supposed to be very weak?

Well, infrared is just beyond our visible range... I haven't looked at the specs of the emitters, but I would guess that they emit a somewhat broad range that includes a little bit of visible red light as well.