Vivo, a smartphone brand already known for pushing the design envelope on its phones, may be working on something very special indeed. A leak has shown two panes of glass with 90-degree curves at either side, ready to encase the entire body of a phone in screen, giving it a higher than 100% screen-to-body ratio. Currently, we have seen phones with screen-to-body ratios around 90%. It’s speculated the phone will be called the Vivo Nex 3.
Leaked on Twitter by @IceUniverse, who has a strong record with accuracy, the body shape is described as, “symmetrical and perfect.” If that wasn’t enough, the high-tech phone will not have a notch or hole-punch, indicating the selfie camera will be under the screen. We have recently seen this kind of technology in prototype form from Oppo, Both Oppo and Vivo are part of the BBK Electronics empire, along with OnePlus. It’s also possible the company will use a pop-up selfie camera.
Outside of the leaked photo — which shows two mirror image pieces of glass that presumably form the body — nothing else is known about the Vivo Nex 3. If the name is correct, we may not know much more for some time, as the Vivo Nex 2 hasn’t even been released. However, Vivo’s naming convention for the Nex range is confusing. The original Vivo Nex — also known as the Vivo Nex S — has since been joined by the Nex A and the Nex Dual Display. There are barely any rumors regarding a Nex 2 at this stage, but you can spot the lineage between these devices and the Nex 3’s all-screen design.
Does this mean the Nex 3 as seen here will never arrive either? Vivo has a history of creating stunning concept phones, and the Nex 3 from the rumor may be another one. In 2018 it showed off the Apex, a concept phone with technology such as an in-display fingerprint sensor and a pop-up camera, which heralded the arrival of the original Nex. Then, a year later it made the Apex 2019, an all-glass phone without any buttons or ports. While it was demonstrated, the phone has so far not become a commercial reality.
It could go either way for the so-called Nex 3, and even if the massive screen expanse can be made real, we’re not sure about the ergonomics of holding a phone that has screen on the front, the sides, and possibly the back as well. At the very least may give us a good indication at how phone designers are envisaging the look of devices in the near future.
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