Vivo unveils impressive port-less APEX 2020 concept phone

Vivo is usually at the top of the innovation game when it comes to flagship models, and this year’s APEX concept handheld is certainly proof that the Chinese company is raising the bar for high-end features. The APEX 2020 smartphone was supposed to be unveiled at MWC, but since the event was cancelled, Vivo went ahead and unveiled the concept on its official site.

Continuing the port-less design trend started last year, the latest concept from Vivo integrates a FullView curved display that extends on the sides at 120-degree angles. It has a 6.45-inch diagonal and a maximum resolution of 2330 x 1080. There are no traditional buttons or ports on this model, as Vivo opted to include a pressure-sensing capacitive power button, 60 W wireless charging and a 3rd gen Screen SoundCasting speaker.

The seamless concept does away with bezels or punch-holes and is among the first to integrate an in-display 16 MP selfie cam in the upper right, along with an in-display fingerprint sensor at the bottom of the screen. Vivo claims that the glass directly above the selfie camera is 6 times more light transmittable in order to allow for brighter and clearer shots.

Now, the specs on the front and rear cameras might not be that impressive, but Vivo is not trying to show off the latest sensors. Instead, the company is introducing cutting edge concepts like better ways to implement in-display cameras and improved periscope zoom levels for the rear camera. Speaking of the rear camera setup, it includes a main 48 MP sensor that features a gimbal-like stabilization system, which apparently has a 200% extended angle. Both this camera and the selfie one have 4-in-1 pixel binning. There also is a rear periscope cam, which it comes with a 16 MP sensor and separate groups of fixed and moving lenses that enable optical zoom of up to 7.5X. The imaging system also allows users to remove unwanted subjects from the final image, while the triple-array mics make it easier to focus the image sensors on whoever is speaking.

This concept is not meant to be released as a commercial product, and this is clearly reinforced by the fact that there are no SoC, RAM and storage specs. Nevertheless, some of the showcased technologies will make their way into various Vivo handhelds throughout the next few years.