Vivo Apex 2019 announced with no ports or buttons, full-display fingerprint scanner and 5G

Vivo has announced the second-generation Apex or Apex 2019 concept phone with a “curved-surface Waterdrop glass and no openings, seams or bezels,” full-display fingerprint scanner, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and 5G connectivity. A broader showcase for the global audience is slated for MWC 2019 in February.  

Just like the original Apex from last year, the Apex 2019 is also as crazy as crazy gets. Some would say, it is way ahead of its time. Even though Meizu sort of spoiled Vivo’s thunder by announcing its own hole-less phone, the Meizu Zero, a day early, the Apex 2019 still manages to raise more eyebrows with its futuristic tech. For one, not only is the Apex 2019 truly hole-less, it is also a nearly bezel-less phone. 

The Apex 2019 “delivers an unconventional smartphone experience by completely removing physical buttons,” according to Vivo, and instead uses Touch Sense technology to enable capacitive touch and pressure-sensing around its outer frame. This is like what HTC did with the U12+ last year, only Vivo (and Meizu) lets go of even the slightest of demarcations for power button and the volume rocker. Basically, you can’t tell where to press for sleep and wake or volume up and down, but the phone will be smart enough to tell if a user is pressing the frame and its position, providing extra-sensitive accuracy.”

The Apex 2019 also does not have a USB port and instead uses a proprietary magnetic power connector called MagPort on the back for charging and data syncing purposes. The phone further uses Body SoundCasting technology, to turn the display into a speaker omitting traditional grills in the process.   

The original Apex came with a half-screen fingerprint scanner. The Apex 2019 takes things to a whole new level “with a sensor covering almost the entire display.” Now, Vivo has so far failed to mass produce its half-screen fingerprint scanning tech, so it would be interesting to see if it manages to skip a beat and make its full-display fingerprint scanner available for consumers anytime soon.  

Hardware specs, as expected, are top-notch here. The Apex 2019 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor clubbed with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. 

“With the goal of enhanced usability and simplicity at the core, Apex 2019 offers consumers a glimpse into the future of smartphone design and development. The super unibody design and full-display fingerprint scanning technology, among several other breakthrough features, make Apex 2019 a truly exceptional smartphone that demonstrates Vivo’s continuous exploration and pursuit of exceptional innovation for consumers,” Spark Ni, who is senior vice president of Vivo said while announcing the Apex 2019.

Also Read:Meizu Zero Is The World’s First Smartphone Without Any Physical Buttons, Speaker Cut-out Or USB Port