APEX predator? Chinese phone-flinger Vivo teases upcoming concept phone

Chinese phone maker Vivo has wowed attendees of the past two Mobile World Congress megafests with intriguing — and hugely divisive — APEX concept phones it hoped would set the industry tempo for years to come. To set the scene, in 2018, it wheeled out a handset with an almost bezel-less screen, and a selfie camera hidden under …

[sbt]

Except for the fragility issue...

I prefer the idea of a pop-up camera rather than stupid notches in the screen. I'd be happy with just a rear camera, but I get that's not most people's preference.

Anyway, glad there's still some folks trying to innovate in this space. I'd still like a smaller screen so it'd still fit in my pocket, though. This screen size war is as pointless as the SUV height war.

[tiggity]

Re: Except for the fragility issue...

Agree totally on front facing camera

For non selfie takers no need for a front facing camera - rear is only one used

[GruntyMcPugh]

Re: Except for the fragility issue...

@tiggity: "no need for a front facing camera"

Perhaps it's time to get rid of the front facing camera for public safety. There was a story in the press this week about a 21 year old Instagrammer who fell off a cliff in Australia, one presumes yet another selfie victim.

[Alumoi]

Re: Except for the fragility issue...

That's evoluion in action, aka Darwin Awards. What's wrong with that?

[Craig 2]

Re: Except for the fragility issue...

Pop-up selfie camera could also help with privacy concerns of cameras being activated silently without the user's knowledge. Hard to miss if it appears unexpectedly. (I assume it's motorised?)

Selfie camera occasionally gets used as an ad-hoc mirror, or for checking injuries from falling off the MTB... :)

[Muscleguy]

Re: Except for the fragility issue...

Indeed, was sitting behind a young woman on the bus one morning recently who was finishing up her makeup using the front camera as a mirror.

[Intractable Potsherd]

Re: Except for the fragility issue...

The UK government's EU Settlement Scheme app requires the use of the front camera for verifying the data on the passport chip.

Front cameras are also useful for video-calling.

[dajames]

Re: Except for the fragility issue...

I prefer the idea of a pop-up camera rather than stupid notches in the screen.

However odious stupid notches and holes in the screen may be, the fragility issues are far worse. My current phone has a notch, which I hate, but I wouldn't have bought one with a pop-up.

[teknopaul]

Re: Except for the fragility issue...

Moving parts and fragility is an issue sometimes, not necessarily.

E.g. I prefer pop-up popout swapable and fixable over soldered on.

I never had a Ericsson or nokia foldable break

.

[Natalie Gritpants Jr]

Might be cheaper to have just one really good camera on the back together with a small low res screen on the back for selfies/facetime.

[Artifixprime]

Have a OnePlus 7 pro and the pop-up works a treat.

The kids love it too - hours (OK, minutes) of entertainment :)

[Nelbert Noggins]

The Asus ZenFone 6 works for me.

Hardly use a front camera and the mechanism stays solidly in place in the rear facing position.

The 180 degree rotation makes panoramic shots trivial if you ever want to take them.

[SonofRojBlake]

Does nobody video call?

Facetime/Whatsapp/Skype/whatever? My mother would get withdrawal symptoms if she didn't see her grandson live on her iPad at least a couple of times a week. For that alone a front-facing camera is a must, even if you've never taken a selfie and abhor the very concept.

[Epitune]

I don't even have a smartphone

Never going to get one either..I think it's the dumbest (and most useless) thing since facebook. :-)

[MarkElmes]

I too wouldn't mind a pop up camera, I hardly ever use the selfie camera so it be nicer to be tucked away.

However as a Pixel 4XL user, I have to stick with a huge forehead with a few cameras instead :/

(Well worth it though, pixels are just the best)