Vivo wowed us at Mobile World Congress this year with its almost bezel-free Apex concept phone. Unlike so many other 2018 smartphones, this one had a screen that got all the way up to the edge without a notch. Now, the concept phone is a real device called the Vivo Nex. Try to control your lust, though. This phone is only launching in China.
The Nex comes in two variants. The premium version has a Snapdragon 845, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 4,000mAh battery. The cheaper one swaps in a Snapdragon 710, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Both phones have the same 12MP + 5MP rear camera array, and the front-facing popup camera is 8MP.
Hiding the camera in the frame like that means you get a massive 6.59-inch 1080p OLED panel with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Unlike the Apex, the sensor doesn't cover an entire third of the screen. It's just a finger-sized area near the bottom. The display also acts as an earpiece when you take a call. The bezel around the screen is incredibly narrow, but it does still look slightly larger at the bottom. I hesitate to call this a "chin," but it's noticeable.
We played around with the Apex at MWC, and it was a really striking device. However, it was a bit sharp and boxy. The Nex looks rounded and more refined. This seems like a cool, futuristic phone, but you probably won't be able to get one. The Nex is launching in China only, and it's priced at 4,998 RMB (about $780) for the high-end version.
PRESS RELEASE
Shanghai, China, Jun. 12, 2018
Bringing World’s First Elevating Front Camera and Truly Bezel-less Display to Market,
NEX Delivers the Future Now
Vivo today revealed its NEX flagship series at a launch event in China. With the notch-free Ultra FullView™ Display, NEX fulfills the bezel-less dream and features an industry-leading 91.24% screen-to-body ratio, thanks to multiple industry-first technologies. NEX breaks industry conventions and is Vivo’s latest milestone on its journey to set new limits for smartphone design.
The new flagship series NEX is Vivo’s premium line-up and is the ultimate representation of innovation in design, performance, as well as cutting-edge technologies
. Embodying the “next” era in smartphone technology, NEX will usher in an entirely new concept of the smartphone for today’s users, allowing them to experience the future and innovations beyond the imagination.
“The launch of NEX finally brings an end to the industry’s pursuit of a true bezel-less device. We have spent many long months developing a host of new breakthrough technologies to realize this vision of the future smartphone. Vivo is evolving from a manufacturer to an innovative technology company that delivers hardware, software and services,
” said Alex Feng, Senior Vice President of Vivo.
“Technologies such as the Elevating Front Camera and In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology merely scratch the surface of all the innovations featured in NEX. With our relentless pursuit of true innovation, Vivo explores the unknown, tackles new challenges and dares the world to imagine a different future for smartphone user experience. As the first to achieve a truly bezel-less device, we hope to encourage our industry to continue pondering ‘what’s next?’ in this mobile experience journey,” he added.
Designing a Truly Bezel-Less Experience for Users
NEX’s
Ultra FullView™ Display experience comes in the form of a 6.59-inch Super AMOLED display with a 91.24% screen-to-body ratio. Achieving this required several technologies that help free up more space for the screen on NEX.
The 8MP Elevating Front Camera hides in the body of the phone and elevates to allow consumers to take selfies exactly as they have in the past.
NEX also replaces the traditional earpiece speaker entirely with its Screen SoundCasting Technology by turning the screen into a speaker. This technology not only reduces the top bezels, but also enhances sound quality with more powerful bass, and softer, smoother treble. To further reduce the bezels, NEX adopts Vivo’s 3rd generation In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology that has improved in both accuracy and speed, following its successes with the X20UD and X21. This technology hides the fingerprint sensor underneath the display while still delivering fingerprint access on the front of the phone.
Powerful Performance
Form and function cannot be separated and in the ultimate bezel-less phone, the performance also needs to be optimal. NEX successfully optimizes performance for this truly bezel-less device.
NEX comes with a top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and 8GB of RAM so it never hesitates, even when running the most intensive games. NEX also packs an Adreno 630 Graphic Processing Unit which is more powerful and energy efficient than its predecessor.
AI Capabilities for a Smarter Mobile Experience
NEX incorporates AI technology that makes the smartphone truly smart. Vivo continues to pursue the ultimate AI photography technologies with AI Scene Recognition, AI HDR, AI Filters and AI Photo Composition. This ensures users capture the perfect shot of any subject, in any scenario, regardless of skill level.
Beyond photography, Vivo has upgraded its Jovi Intelligent Voice Assistant with powerful voice commands, Image Identification and greater ease of access with a dedicated AI button. With Jovi, users can now access apps and features with their voice. Jovi can also identify objects on the phone’s screen and provide accurate information for the user.
The launch of NEX adds another milestone to Vivo’s list of industry-firsts. From being the first to put a Hi-Fi audio chip in a smartphone, launching the world’s thinnest smartphone at the time of its release, to taking the first In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology to market, time and again Vivo has revolutionized and propelled the mobile user experience to another level. NEX demonstrates Vivo’s determination to test the limits and break industry conventions.
Availability
Vivo NEX will be available in China.
