The Cult Phone of Tomorrow? Vivo Nex, Great on Paper, Amazing in the Flesh

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On paper, Vivo Nex looks like it’s trying too hard. It launched with an elevated camera, proprietary in-display fingerprint sensor technology and is able to cast sound through the screen. Three features we haven’t seen or heard of from other phone makers – yet. That makes it definitely innovative but is it practical? Is this phone ready to be used and abused by the regular consumer? After today’s hands-on at Vivo’s Mobile World Congress Shanghai booth, one thing became very clear: Vivo Nex was made to win.

Although it was the first day of Mobile World Congress in Shanghai, people were lining up to enter the Vivo stand when we got there. That definitely piqued our interest. Vivo Nex was standing tall and proud at the booth, ready to be taken apart by tech journalists who had seen everything and anything. The Vivo crew spotted us instantly and Brent gave us a rundown of the phone. We knew all about the front camera gimmick but seeing it in action made us see it was more than just a trick to grab users’ attention.

✍Vivo Nex Teardown Reveals Pop-Up Camera Mechanism✍

In fact, the phone was really well thought out. The elevated camera was a means to an end, not just a trick to impress the masses. Vivo succeded in getting rid of all the extras to let the display shine. Like chopping off wood, piece by piece, to reveal an exquisite sculpture. After the selfie camera was moved to the top of the phone, the fingerprint button was not only removed from the front of the device, but the back as well. In the end, it got hidden within the display. Also, Vivo didn’t settle for today’s mobile standards for audio. They pushed the envelope, casting sound through the display!

What you are left with is a gorgeous, multifunctional display that comes close to what you usually see in Sci-Fi movies: that slab of transparent glass, with no physical buttons whatsoever.

And yet, Vivo is not just a feat of design. It deserves the “flagship” title for its top-notch hardware and software. With 8GB of RAM and a dual rear camera, it’s a trailblazer and possibly the cult phone of tomorrow.

✍Vivo’s Amazing TOF 3D Sensing Tech: Scan Your Head, Then 3D Print It✍

Bottom line, the next-gen Vivo mobile device could be a biometrics wonder. Today, at MWC Shanghai, the company announced a new technology, called TOF 3D sensing. It can capture 10 times more sensor points than Apple’s Face ID system on iPhone X, which makes it more secure. Brent told us it works from three meters away, so full 3D body-scans are possible for gaming use cases or body enhancements.