Will tomorrow's Vivo smartphone break the technology design barrier?

Earlier this month, out of nowhere popular smartphone tipster @IceUniverse broke the news that Vivo would be launching a smartphone dubbed the Waterdrop that would subvert a person’s perception of what a smartphone would be. Since then, the news has quite literally broken the internet as Vivo has been expected to launch a smartphone, unlike anything that has been witnessed so far. A couple of days ago Vivo had put up teaser images on Weibo hinting that the APEX 2019 aka the Waterdrop would be officially unveiled on 24 January.

Last year, Vivo introduced the APEX smartphone, which when was made available for the masses, it came to be known as the NEX. This handset cemented the smartphone manufacturer as a brand that doesn’t shy away from innovation as it came bearing a unique pop-up camera, an in-display fingerprint scanner and one of the first handsets in the world not to come with a notch.

This year, Vivo is expected to throw out the playbook and launch a handset that is said to be unlike anything that the world has ever seen before. The Vivo APEX 2019 aka the Waterdrop, when launched, is expected not to come with any ports, no pop-up selfie camera, no buttons and no physical fingerprint scanner.

As of now, there is a lot of guesswork as to what Vivo will showcase at its event but from the leaks that have gathered up so far, the Chinese tech giant is readying a smartphone that will boast a futuristic design that’s not been seen on a smartphone thus far. The brand has also launched a teaser campaign where they took to the streets allowing smartphone enthusiasts to get a feel of the handset without being able to see it. Those lucky enough to cop a feel of the yet unannounced handset described it as a giant pebble or a metal soap. @VenyaGeskin1, a leakster who has a stellar track record when it comes to spilling details of upcoming smartphones states that sources have informed him what the handset would look like when announced and it corroborates with what those who felt it had described it as.

As per information provided by Chinese media, the Vivo APEX 2019 will be the first commercially available handset from the brand to be 5G ready and have super-fast wireless charging tech. The handset when announced will also have a uni-body design with no ports or buttons making it especially resistant to water and dust. The handset is expected to feature virtually non-existent bezels on the top and the sides and a minor bezel at the bottom. This suggests that there could be an AMOLED display used here.

The Vivo APEX 2019 will also feature new in-display fingerprint technology on the bottom half of the screen allowing for two fingerprints to be scanned at the same time. Vivo, last year gained recognition for its innovative pop-up selfie camera and this year’s APEX 2019 handset may utilise the same mechanism. However, there are contradictory rumours suggesting that there may either be an under-display camera or a simply the dual camera set up on the rear may act as a selfie camera with the back having a second display like the NEX Dual Display Edition that has been recently announced.

As of now, this is nothing but a case of smoke and mirrors until Vivo officially announces it on 24 January 2019. But one thing is for certain, Vivo’s APEX 2019 could break the design technology barrier.

Disclaimer: The above report is completely based on online rumours and leaks from the respective sources. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Asian Age and/or other staff and contributors to this website.