Vivo has apparently finished a market-ready version of the Apex phone it teased several months ago, the one with a truly bezel-less display, no notch, a pop-up selfie camera, and an in-display fingerprint scanner.
The smartphone maker is now sending out invitations for an unveiling of the phone in question, which wowed audiences and critics alike back when it was teased in February. The question is, however, if all the technologies featured in the concept phone will make it into the consumer version.
Vivo Apex Coming June 12
Vivo's invite states that the company continues its "vision with Apex FullView Concept Smartphone," but it's not exactly clear what it means by "continue." In an ad, it shows off the production version of the smartphone, which looks rather different from the Apex concept owing to its more rounded edges. The screen, however, is still bezel-less, and the selfie camera still pops up from up top. More importantly, there's still no notch to be seen.
Oddly, Vivo didn't show much of the device's fingerprint capabilities, which leaves the in-display fingerprint scanner shown off in the concept in doubt.
Is The Notch Going Away?
As more and more manufacturers put a notch on their phones, the race to a truly all-screen phone is on, as The Verge notes. Many have actually embraced the notch despite its flaws, but some believe that it's simply a stopgap solution toward the all-screen display companies really want to achieve.
So far, two companies are running in this said race: Doogee, with its sliding phone concept, and Lenovo, with its recently unveiled all-screen Z5. All-screen phones are hard to do because there are several components on the front of the device that simply cannot be relocated. The earpiece, for one, needs to be there, and also the selfie camera. But as Vivo and other companies are increasingly proving, they can find ways to relocate those and still make decent phones.
The Quest For An All-Screen Phone
But of course, there are sacrifices. In Vivo's case, the retractable selfie camera, while a clever solution, presents potential problems simply for the fact that it's a moving part, which is typically not good on a device one has to carry around everywhere. Imagine the damage on the phone when it's dropped while the camera is still open.
Even still, Vivo deserves merit for its experimentation, especially during an era where smartphones are starting to look more and more the same. Its phone still doesn't have an official name, but get ready for June 12 when it's ready to announce more details.
Thoughts about the Vivo Apex? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
