Vivo shows off Apex 2020 concept smartphone with rear camera and optical zoom

Vivo has unveiled its Apex 2020 concept smartphone. The device contains new technologies such as a camera behind the screen, a lens with optical zoom from 5 to 7.5x and a gimbal for stabilization of the primary camera. The device does not come out in this form.

The Apex 2020 screen has edges that curve over the sides at a 120-degree angle. At the top is a front camera behind the screen. That technology has already been shown by various smartphone manufacturers last year, but is not yet in smartphones that actually come out.

The primary camera on the back is a 48MP one with gimbal stabilization. Vivo does not provide any further information about this, but implies that the housing contains advanced hardware for stabilization. Gimbals are used, among other things, for drones and separate stabilization accessories for cameras.

The concept also has a telephoto lens with optical zoom from 5x to 7.5x. Many smartphone manufacturers today claim that their phones have optical zoom, but that is almost always a telephoto lens with a fixed focal length and not a moving lens that can actually zoom. The Vivo concept does have such a zoom lens. Furthermore, Vivo’s phone of the future has voice tracking autofocus and the device can charge wirelessly with 60W.

Vivo shows the Apex 2020 in a YouTube video. The manufacturer shows renders and mentions all kinds of specs, but the smartphone is not actually in production. Techniques mentioned may appear in other models from the manufacturer this year. Last year, Vivo also showed an Apex concept. That phone never came out.