vivo's APEX concept has just turned into a real
commercially-ready smartphone - two of those, in fact. The more premium model
is called NEX S and offers flagship internals and several unique features.
The NEX S achieves an impressive 91.24% screen-to-body
ratio by letting go of the notch and having a minimal chin on the bottom. They
call it Ultra FullView Display and uses a 6.59-inch Super AMOLED panel with
FHD+ (2316 x 1080px) resolution and a unique 19.3:9 ratio.
More importantly, the display incorporates the cool
in-display tech that we saw in the concept and the X21 UD. And since the panel
takes up virtually all of the space on the front, the vivo NEX S brings the
promised periscope-like camera with an 8MP sensor and f/2.0 aperture.
The earpiece has also been removed from its usual
spot and has been replaced with a vibrating screen. vivo claims that the Screen
SoundCasting Technology should deliver better-sounding bass and softer treble.
Of course, a Snapdragon 845 chipset sits behind the wheel with 8GB of RAM and
either 128GB or the whopping 256GB of internal storage.
Unfortunately, the camera department is where the
phone drags behind its competitors, at least on paper. The back sports a 12MP
f/1.8 sensor paired with 5MP f/2.4 unit - a setup that has been recycled from
the X21 UD. We were expecting something more exciting from a top of the line
smartphone, but perhaps its real-life performance will surprise us.
All of this hardware is powered by a fairly big
4,000 mAh battery that can be filled quickly thanks to the included 22.5W
charger in the box. Funtouch OS 4.0 runs on top of the Android 8.1 Oreo out of
the box with a bunch of AI enhancements.
Speaking of the OS, the vivo NEX S gets the
so-called Jovi voice assistant. A dedicated hardware button on the side - just
like Samsung's Bixby - lets you activate Jovi and ask for its help. Jovi is
capable of image identification, it can launch apps and supports numerous other
voice commands. The cameras on the back also benefit from the AI-capabilities
of the device with scene recognition, HDR, filters and photo composition.
The OEM said that the device will go up for
pre-order tomorrow on June 13 and will be available in offline stores on June
23. The standard 8GB/128GB version will go for CNY 4,498 ($702) while the
beefed-up model with 8GB/256GB memory configuration will go for CNY 4,998
(US$ 780).
No word on international availability - the press
release just says that it will be available in China but we knew that from the
start. If it ever goes on sale outside the country, it won't be soon for sure,
at least judging by X21 UD's availability.
