Vivo APEX With Half-Screen Fingerprint Scanning Tech Launched, Mass Production to Begin in Mid-2018

Days after its initial appearance as a concept phone at MWC 2018 last month, Vivo has now formally launched the APEX with 91 percent screen-to-body ratio, half-screen fingerprinting scanning tech, and an elevating selfie camera. Details about price and specifications of the new smartphone are yet to be confirmed. However, its mass production is set to begin by the middle of the year.

Vivo at a local event on Monday highlighted that the APEX will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, as reported by Chinese technology blog ITHome. The handset is said to feature a 5.99-inch OLED display with COF technology. To deliver a full-screen user experience, the Vivo APEX has embedded ambient and proximity sensors under the display. Similarly, there is a Half-Screen Fingerprint Scanning technology that works as an in-screen fingerprint scanner, hidden under the half part of the display. This is unlike the under-display fingerprint scanner of the Vivo X20 Plus UD that had fingerprint unlocking functionality limited to one spot somewhere on the bottom of the screen.

The Vivo APEX is reported to have left and right bezels with merely 1.8mm of thickness, while the bottom side of the handset has a bezel space of 4.3mm. Overall, there is a 7.8mm of thickness. The top of the APEX features a hidden 8-megapixel selfie camera that is claimed to elevate from the body in just 0.8 seconds. Further, the handset is said to have a System-in-Package (SiP) to deliver a Hi-Fi audio experience. There are also three amplifiers along with a built-in DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter). The smartphone has a proprietary Screen SoundCasting technology that generates vibrations through the display to produce sound. This works as an earpiece as well as a loudspeaker.

The primary camera sensor on the Vivo APEX is said to support Super HDR with a limited dynamic range of up to 14 EV. The camera also reportedly includes an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and features such as smart optimisation, ultra-dynamic, multi-frame preferences, character optimisations, and natural tones.