Every other phone maker today seems to be eager to join in on the front side notch design party, especially in the wake of the blockbuster success of Apple’s iPhone X last year. Some mobile brands, however, are continuing their quest to deliver a true bezel-less, all screen smartphone, or at least one with the slimmest bezels possible (while a few are already trying to offer the best of both worlds by camouflaging the front notch against a black bar -- here’s looking at you Huawei, LG, and OnePlus).
For Vivo, providing as much screen real estate as possible appears to be a priority, as evidenced by its introduction of the Apex FullView concept smartphone during the annual Mobile World Congress event that was held earlier this year in the beautiful city of Barcelona in Spain. The Apex handset comes with top and size bezels that measure only 1.8 millimeters, which basically allow the device to achieve a screen to body ratio of over 98 percent.
After Vivo’s Apex was announced, no details regarding pricing and availability were made public in the ensuing months, except for some reports indicating that the smartphone could make its commercial debut some time later this year. But just recently, the Chinese phone maker has decided to release an ad that not only highlights the brand’s involvement in this year’s biggest sports event -- that would be the 2018 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in Russia, which kicks off on June 14th, with Vivo as the official smartphone sponsor -- but also includes a save the date announcement for an upcoming June 12th event, which could feature the Apex being unveiled to the world.
There is a lot to be excited about with regards to the Vivo Apex phablet. For one, it has devised a solution for achieving a true bezel-less all screen handset without using a notch -- by way of a front facing camera that pops out of the top side. Sure, it takes around 0.8 seconds for the camera to pop up (which is like forever for people who want to snap a selfie real fast), but it does present a neat solution for those who just can not stand the front notch.
Another thing to look forward to with Vivo’s Apex is its under-display fingerprint sensor. The Chinese mobile manufacturer had made some waves early this year during the Consumer Electronics Show when it showcased the first ever smartphone in the world to to feature an in-screen fingerprint reader. The company has since continued to quickly expand its lineup of under-display fingerprint scanner sporting devices with the X20 Plus UD and the X21 (which began its global launch earlier this month). Of course, the Apex is set to join in on the party, and the device will take things a step further by offering an in-screen fingerprint sensor for two fingers.
