Look Ma! Oppo's prototype handset has no buttons, no ports

Remember the Meizu Zero? This was a phone unveiled at the start of this year that had no buttons or ports. Charging was handled by an 18W Wireless charger that came out of the box and virtual buttons on the side of the phone replaced the real thing. While the Zero was a concept phone, Meizu tried to crowdfund production of the device on Indiegogo and attempted to raise $100,000 by charging $1,299 for each unit. But the company fell short after raising $45,000 and the project was scrapped.

Oppo revealed a similar prototype handset just a few days ago, TechRadar recently reported. Like the Meizu Zero, the phone has no speakers, no buttons and no ports, but adds one feature in order to keep the bezels thin. That would be an under-display selfie camera. That keeps the screen-to-body-ratio high, similar to the way that Oppo used a pop-up wedge for the selfie camera on the Reno to achieve the same goal. The pixels on the screen in front of the camera are larger than those on the rest of the display to allow enough light in. Also under the display is the speaker

Oppo's prototype has a power button on the right, but to raise or lower the volume a user drags his finger along a touch-sensitive area. Like the Zero, the phone charges wirelessly but features a 30W wireless charger. The prototype uses an embedded SIM (eSIM) which is attached to the phone's motherboard as a replacement for the SIM card that would be inserted into the SIM drawer.

Oppo doesn't plan to offer this phone but does plan on employing some of the features found on the device on its new handsets produced over the next few years. This past summer, Oppo disseminated a tweet showing the under-display selfie snapper in action. Who knows? By 2022 we could see a production version of Oppo's button-free, port-free handset in the marketplace. And if you live in America, there is hope that such a device might be available in the country; Oppo said earlier this year that the manufacturer does have plans to come to America.