Vivo’s new Apex zero-port concept phone packs in-display selfie lens and 60W wireless charging

After delaying the launch that would have happened during the cancelled MWC 2020, Vivo Apex 2020 has finally been revealed to the world. As a concept phone, it has a lot of exciting features that could (and should) make it into the mainstream.

Some of these are still a bit radical - like a zero-port unibody design that means you’ll have to rely on wireless charging. Yet Vivo is claiming the Apex 2020 will be capable of an astonishing 60W wireless charging, which would far surpass the current 10W maximum found in some flagships.

Other advances are more universally appealing, like a 16MP front-facing camera situated in the main display - no notch, no punch-hole necessary. This is possible thanks to innovations in screen pixel layout and circuit design, per Vivo’s press release.

The rear camera includes a 5x-7.5x continuous optical zoom on the Apex 2020’s rear camera, which sounds like it could push past the 5x optical telephoto lenses on the Huawei P30 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. That’s exciting enough, but the main lens also features a ‘gimbal-like structure’ for optical stabilization that’s superior to an OIS setup, Vivo claims in a press release.

• The Vivo Apex 2020 concept's top features should make our best phones list in the future
• Contrast that with the exciting perks of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Or whatever advanced zoom is coming in the Huawei P40 Pro

Vivo Apex 2020 is mostly, but not totally, rosy

There are some compromises, of course. The Apex 2020 has a tiny 2,000mAh battery, making that 60W wireless charging a regular necessity, not a bonus. No ports likely means no SIM or microSD storage expansion, either. 

Not that we’ll get a chance to test this out in the real world. Like the aptly-named OnePlus Concept One, we doubt the Vivo Apex 2020 will ever hit the market as a consumer-appealing device. But we expect to see its innovations down the road in some capacity - if not in Vivo handsets, then in devices produced by phonemakers looking toward the future. 

• If the Vivo Apex 2020 was sold commercially, it might make our best Android phones list