Vivo

Vivo has officially shown off the Vivo Nex 2 dual-screen smartphone.

The phone features a large primary screen, and a smaller screen on the back.

Vivo’s phone also offers a triple-camera setup on the back.

We came across purportedly leaked images of the Vivo Nex 2 a few days ago, showing us a phone with a peculiar dual-screen design. We didn’t have to wait long for official confirmation though, as Vivo has released an official image of the device in all its glory.

The Chinese brand posted an image of the dual-screen smartphone to Weibo and its website, showing a virtually bezel-free main screen. But look at the back and you’ll find a smaller screen, surrounded by thick bezels.

The rear of the Vivo Nex 2 features a triple-camera setup on the top bezel (along with a strange camera hump). We don’t see any cameras on the front of the device, so you’ll likely need to use the triple-camera trio and second screen for your selfies. Hopefully the company is going for the normal/wide/telephoto setup, as seen on the LG V40 and Huawei Mate 20 series.

Vivo

We don’t know much else about this new device, but battery life is certainly a concern when we see dual-screen smartphones. Hopefully Vivo either delivers great power-saving features for the second screen, or the phone packs a big battery.

Editor's Pick Vivo Nex could cost 849 euros, much more expensive than in China and India The Vivo Nex wowed us all at Mobile World Congress 2018. Then known as the Vivo Apex, the smartphone featured a notch-less display with extremely small bezels, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and a unique pop-up …

This isn’t the first dual-screen smartphone of its type we’ve seen this year, as the Nubia X was launched last month. The Nubia device features a second display that camouflages into the phone’s rear cover, making for a rather striking effect. Going back even further, we’ve seen the YotaPhone and Hisense A2 series, offering e-ink displays on the back for reading and other tasks.

It seems like the current trend of dual-screen smartphones is yet another alternative to the divisive display notch. We’ve also seen slider phones this year, delivering notchless displays while hiding earpieces, sensors and cameras on the slider mechanism. How long until we get phones with selfie cameras beneath the display?

We don’t know when the Vivo Nex 2 will be launched, but hopefully it gets released outside China. Would you buy a dual-screen smartphone?

We’re pretty excited about this on the podcast. Check it out!

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