Bezel-less smartphones, hidden cameras — starring Xiaomi, Honor, Oppo and Vivo

Image: Vivo Nex via AFP Relaxnews

In less than a year, four different Chinese tech giants have revealed bezel-less smartphones with hidden cameras. Two are already on the market, two are on their way.

Smartphone bezels have been slimming down dramatically in recent years, in turn bringing bigger displays and controversial notches; but it’s either that or no selfie cam.

The Vivo Apex concept phone, shown at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, got things rolling, with bezel-less reality following shortly after when both Vivo and Oppo released devices with pop-up cameras (otherwise hidden inside) this summer: Vivo with the NEX and Oppo with the Find X.

Now two more Chinese manufacturers, Xiaomi and Honor, are jumping on the sliding camera bandwagon.

At IFA 2018, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor teased its own take on the hidden camera when it announced the upcoming Magic 2, a successor to the 2016 Magic phone. Featuring a “FullView Display,” this almost bezel-less device has found a different way to “pop up” the camera.

Honor’s president George Zhao stood on stage at the Berlin event and then slid the smartphone, manually pushing up the camera, rather than relying on an automated mechanism. For anyone that remembers their phone from a decade ago, there’s a good chance it did just that, though revealing a keyboard instead.

The device will be powered by newly announced Huawei Kirin 980 processor, which will rival the Snapdragon 845 and feature in phones such as the Huawei P20 Pro.

It’s not sure when the Magic 2 will be released, or where, as the original Magic was a limited edition in China.

Not one to be left out, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi’s president Lin Bin posted a render of the much-anticipated Mi Mix 3, with the same sort of manual sliding mechanism as the Honor Magic 2. The post doesn’t reveal much except that the phone might be released around October. JB

RELATED STORIES:

Huawei’s IFA highlights include smart speaker with Wi-Fi, Kirin 980, leather P20 Pro

OPPO F9 exceeds smartphone standards with revolutionary VOOC Flash Charge