Chinese smartphone companies appear to be in a race to release the most innovative features. One such company is Vivo, which has showcased a new kind of curved glass for its upcoming smartphone, the Vivo NEX 3.

The company's product manager, Li Xiang posted a picture of the extremely curved glass along with sketches of the device on the Chinese social media website, Sina Weibo on Thursday.

Vivo calls it the "waterfall" display.

So, how is it different from regular curved displays? The device has a near 90-degree curvature at the edges of the glass, which makes the display seem like it is wrapped around the edges.

Currently, most high-end phones come with a curved display. However, these displays generally curve only slightly on both sides such as the one in the OnePlus 7 Pro. The NEX 3 is expected to change this paradigm and allow the user more screen space. The display is expected to have an improved aspect ratio vis-à-vis the current flagships.

How the edges will be used, remains to be seen. Hypothetically, the fingerprint sensor could be shifted towards the edge. However, there will certainly be some usability concerns. One of the things that remain to be seen, is whether the extra screen area will be touch-sensitive or not. How will the company work against accidental touches also remains to be seen, but it is expected to deliver a better visual experience than current devices.

Besides the display, Vivo is expected to endow the device with a chronograph-like triple camera setup, which will help users focus better on the subject of an image as well as its surroundings.

Vivo Nex 3 waterfall glass

Vivo has tried to showcase innovative features with its NEX series. The first generation had a pop-out front camera, the second one had a dual-display and the third one, about to be launched soon, is expected to have a 90-degree curved display. Vivo shares its parent company with Oppo and OnePlus and the features showcased in the NEX series ultimately show up on phones from these companies.

Just like the Vivo NEX first-generation device, the OnePlus 7 Pro also has a pop-out camera.