It has been a long time since Vivo announced something big for its consumers. In 2018, the Chinese tech brand was one of the first to offer a flagship model with under-display fingerprint scanner technology – the X20 Plus. With the Mobile World Congress 2020 cancelled over the COVID-19 health scare, companies have started to unveil what they initially had in store for the telecommunications expo. The Apex 2020 debuts with a groundbreaking secondary camera system that could change smartphone design in months to come.

In December 2019, a reliable insider hinted that consumers will see a new type of innovation by 2020. After the controversial notch -- first introduced by the iPhone X – came the punch-hole cutout. Now, the prototype from Vivo teases an upcoming trend wherein front-facing cameras will sit under the display. According to CNet, the handset sports a 16-megapixel selfie camera hidden below the touchscreen.

With the goal of reducing the size of the bezels, manufacturers have been experimenting with various methods. While others have relied on the punch-hole system, there are those that use motorised pop-up configurations. The Vivo Apex 2020, hopes to be the first commercial 5G smartphone with virtually non-existent borders on the top and bottom of its display. The technology is still in its early stages of development. Therefore, consumers should not hope to see it on commercial mobile phone models anytime soon.

Another noteworthy feature of the smartphone is the main imaging sensors. The 16-megapixel periscope sensor will reportedly support an optical zoom range of 5x to 7.5x (without digital magnification). Then there's the main 48-megapixel camera that flaunts a gimbal stabilising mechanism that would rival the modern OIS system of rival brands.

Vivo Apex 2020 concept smartphone debuts
The Vivo Apex 2020, hopes to be the first commercial 5G smartphone with virtually non-existent borders on the top and bottom of its display. Photo: Vivo

Given its nature as a concept model, Vivo seems to have included even more remarkable features. Without any physical ports on the unit, it looks like the Apex 2020 will rely solely on wireless charging via its Super FlashCharge 60W technology. Based on the specifications indicated, it is possible for it to fill up a 2,000 mAh battery within 20 minutes. While this handset is not slated to hit retailers at all, it might be a small teaser of what future flagship units would bring to the table.