Vivi Apex 2020 Concept Phone Boasts 60W Wireless Charging, 16MP Under-Display Selfie Cam
Mobile World Congress (MWC) would have wrapped up yesterday, has the event gone on as planned. It ended up being cancelled, though, as vendors started pulling out due to concerns from the coronavirus outbreak. While MWC never came to pass this year, we can still expect a string of announcements that would have been made at the event. One of those is Vivo's future-thinking Apex 2020 smartphone.
Apex 2020 is not an actual handset, at least not at the moment. Instead, it is pitched as a concept phone "for demonstration only." So, we don't get to see the actual device, but a set of fancy renders swirling with nifty features, all outlined in a short 1m03sec video posted to YouTube with the title, "Welcome to a Vision Beyond."
Indeed, many of the features highlighted in the video do in fact look beyond what is available today, though not all of them. For example, there is a full-front display. However, the devil is in the details. The 6.45-inch screen is curved at an angle of up to 120 degrees on both sides.
"This helps removes side edges and bezels from the front view and results in an ultra-bezel-less display," Vivo explains.
And by that, Vivo means no bezel at all. As in, no traditional bezel, no notch (teardrop other otherwise), and no punch-hole for the front-facing camera. Instead, the 16-megapixel selfie camera sits underneath the display. This is something Oppo showed off last year, and will undoubtedly be a staple of future smartphones.
Vivo says it increased the light transmittance of the screen right above the selfie camera by a factor of 6 compared to other parts of the screen. According to Vivo, this reduces optical interference, diffraction, and stray flashes, aided by a series of algorithms to result in better front-facing photos. There's also a 4-in-1 "super-pixel photosensitive chip" to help things out.
On top of the optical zoom, another standout feature is a Gimbal stabilizing system.
"Lab tests demonstrate that compared to the traditional OIS system, its stabilization angle is 200% extended. In addition, the image integrity is preserved to a greater extent. This feature greatly reduces the blurring caused by a shaky hand. Users can also enjoy videography with smoothness. There is no need to bring other equipment as this handset is readily available for you to capture all those wonderful moments," Vivo says.
This can also extend the exposure time, which could make night photography a bit easier, without having to rely on external equipment. Sounds groovy.
Finally, in lieu of physical buttons, the Apex 2020 sports a pressure-sensitive button. There are no ports, either. It relies on a 60W "Wireless Super FlashCharge" scheme to recharge, with Vivo claiming it takes just 20 minutes refill the 2,000mAh battery.
Other features include a Snapdragon 865 processor, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and 5G connectivity. Whether we will actual see this device, who knows—right now it's just a concept. However, none of the features seem all that far-fetched.
