Vivo unveiled what it dubbed a concept smartphone with features including 5G support and hole-free body, which it will showcase at MWC Barcelona next month.
The concept of a body without openings seems to have caught on with several vendors. Meizu, for example, recently showcased a similar device [1] (though with no firm details on commercialisation).
In the case of Vivo, the USB port has been replaced by a MagPort magnetic connector, which enables both charging and data transfer.
[2]Called Apex 2019, the smartphone uses capacitive touch and pressure sensing to remove the need for physical buttons and, as with the Meizu device, the screen doubles up as a speaker without the need for separate grills.
The device has a full view design which “renders the bezel extinct”, the company said, with the whole screen including a fingerprint scanner, meaning it can be unlocked from “almost anywhere” on the display.
Vivo suggested that this can boost app security, as a fingerprint scan can be combined with a press to launch an app in a single action.
Other specifications for the 5G device include Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor; 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage; and support for Vivo’s Jovi artificial intelligence assistant.
While Apex 2019 will be available for “first-hand viewing” at MWC Barcelona, Vivo has not given guidance on if, or when, it will become a commercial product.
[1] https://www.mobileworldlive.com/devices/news-devices/meizu-touts-holeless-smartphone/[2] https://www.mobileworldlive.com/devices/news-devices/vivo-to-showcase-high-tech-smartphone-at-mwc/attachment/apex-2019-concept-smartphone-1/
