Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has surprised market watchers by launching a phone with a display that is curved on both edges; it’s only the second non-Samsung model with this feature, along with the Blackberry Priv.
The Xplay 5 will be available – in China only, for now – in two flavours. The first will be known as the ‘Flagship Edition’, featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM: a mobile first, as far as we are aware. The Flagship Edition will also feature ‘HiFi 3.0’ package (additional DAC chips and amps for improved audio). Vivo’s standard model of the phone will use a Snapdragon 620, 4GB of RAM and a different combination of audio chips.
Both phones are dual-SIM models, with a 5.43″ AMOLED display (2560 x 1440) and an impressive 128GB of storage. They feature a fingerprint reader and a Sony-powered 16MP rear camera, with phase detection autofocus, as well as an 8MP front camera. The battery is 3,600mAh, with quick charging.
If this all sounds too good to be true, bear in mind that Vivo’s phone does not support NFC aand uses micro-USB, rather than USB-C. It also runs Android 5.1, not Android 6.0. More importantly, there is no software built in to take advantage of the curved edges.
Vivo has not announced a launch date for the Flagship Edition. The standard model can be pre-ordered now, for CNY3,070 ($470), and the Flagship will cost CNY3,570 ($545), ex VAT.
