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Vivo Apex phone scans your finger 'half-screen,' has a pop-up selfie cam

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By Daniel Petrov

Published: Feb 26, 2018, 3:34 AM

Android

Vivo is no stranger to experimenting with concept phones, but its newest one, the Apex FullView, takes the idea of biometry placements to a whole new level. You see, when Synaptics touted its in-display finger scanners, it mentioned that their placement at a particular place is phase 3 in the development of invisible readers, while phase 4 would be placing them anywhere on the screen a manufacturer should desire.

The Vivo X20 Plus UD that was already announced, with fingerprint reader embedded under the phone's display, is still phase 3, but now Vivo comes out with Apex, which we'll be able to play around with at the MWC expo, and it can be deemed a phase 3.5. The phone lets you place your fingers anywhere on the bottom half of the display, and unlock it, or authorize apps to do stuff. That's not all, though, as the nearly bezel-less device found a clever place for the selfie camera, making it a pop-up affair that only shows when needed.

In addition, you get a vibrating screen to emit audio instead of a regular earpiece, and there are a few other innovations in there, which may or may not make it to a retail phone soon, but are svelte nonetheless, so we'll spend some time with the phone when we get through all the Samsungs and Sonys and other actual devices that got announced today and on Sunday.

In pushing the boundaries of mobile experience, Vivo has taken its FullView™ technology to a whole new level by introducing new engineering breakthroughs in camera, speaker and sensor elements as well as rethinking the design structure of conventional smartphones. Vivo's pioneering approach in fingerprint scanning technology has resulted in the world's first Half-Screen Fingerprint Scanning Technology on APEX™, building on the success of industry's first mass-produced In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Smartphone X20 Plus UD.

"APEX™ is an iteration of our constant pursuit of setting new industry standards and to deliver the ultimate mobile experience," Alex Feng, Senior Vice President of Vivo said. "From breakthroughs in audio, photography to In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology, Vivo has remained committed to realizing our vision for future smartphones. What we showcase in this concept phone is only a fraction of our innovation pipeline. We will continue to explore all possibilities to bring the best possible experiences to our consumers."

New Structural Design that Takes Bezels to the Limit

The APEX™ features unprecedented top and side bezels of 1.8mm--the thinnest in the industry, with a 4.3mm bottom bezel. The screen-to-body ratio will exceed 98% if the bottom bezel reaches 1.8mm, ultimately creating truly bezel-less experience. Thanks to the flexible OLED platform, microchips mounted directly to the flexible circuit board enables the APEX™'s staggering screen-to-body ratio.

Leveraging its accumulated expertise in audio technologies, Vivo introduces Screen SoundCasting Technology with APEX™, transforming the entire FullView™ Display into a speaker. The Screen SoundCasting Technology sends vibrations through the display without the need for a traditional loudspeaker. Compared to other audio solutions for bezel-less smartphones, it conserves power, reduces sound leakage, and optimizes low to high pith sound for a better and more balanced audio experience.

In keeping with the promise to continuously support user habits, APEX™ also features an 8MP Elevating Front Camera. The camera seamlessly rises in 0.8 seconds when it is required and retracts after use. Together with the hidden proximity sensor and ambient light sensor, this eliminates the space taken up by conventional front cameras, while offering the same selfie experience to users.

World's First Half-Screen In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology

Following the success of In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology at CES 2018, Vivo has installed the world's first Half-Screen In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology in the APEX™. Transforming the entire bottom half of the OLED screen, users can touch anywhere on the bottom half of the screen to perform fingerprint recognition, enabling a more flexible and intuitive experience while meeting industry standards for security.

Half-Screen In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology also enables new usage scenarios, such as the new dual-fingerprint scanning feature in APEX™ for even greater strengthened security.

Optimal Hi-Fi Quality, a Feast to the Ears

APEX™ deploys a new System in Package (SIP) technology to integrate the DAC and the three operational amplifiers together, reducing the need for circuit board space by nearly 60% compared to previous Xplay6. As this frees up more space in the smartphone's interior, this technology can allow for increased battery size as well as cooling, thus opening potential for even more design improvements in future smartphones.

About Vivo

A global smartphone brand focused on introducing perfect sound quality and ultimate photography with cutting-edge technology, Vivo develops innovative and stylish products for young people. We now have over two hundred million users and are one of the preferred brands of young people around the world. As an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™, Vivo believes in the importance of encouraging young people to embrace self-expression and an energetic lifestyle.

More information about our innovative smartphones can be found at www.vivo.com.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.