What sets one smartphone apart from another? To stand out from the crowd, Chinese manufacturer Vivo, which earlier this year presented the world's first truly edgeless smartphone without any notch or physical button, is counting on the wow factor of two innovations: a system to change a phone's color at any time, and a camera that is considerably more sensitive to light than those used for current models.
On the Chinese social network Weibo, Vivo recently unveiled its latest technological marvel, an electronic system that enables users to change the color of their phones simply by holding down a button on the side of the device. It relies on electrochromic glass which changes its transparency, brilliance and color in response to electrical stimulation of its various layers, an effect that is also enhanced by looking at the phone from different angles. As it stands, the new device remains a prototype and Vivo has yet to confirm that it intends to use the new tech on forthcoming models. But if it does, don't play with the new feature too often or you'll run down the phone's battery.
Vivo has also announced that it is working on a new camera which uses a new RGBW (red, green, blue and white) sensor, which, in combination with a powerful algorithm, is 160% more sensitive to light than a standard RGB setup. Vivo is not the only manufacturer experimenting with this type of alternative sensor, which will likely feature on a wide range of high-end smartphones in the near future.
Even before the Apex 2020 and its edgeless screen, Vivo already caused a stir last year when it became the first manufacturer to present a smartphone with a fingerprint sensor behind its display and a motorized retractable selfie camera. With these latest innovations, the Chinese manufacturer has confirmed its reputation as a technological pioneer.
Sold in over 100 countries, but not well-known to the general public in the western world, the Vivo brand will officially launch in European markets at the end of 2020, following in the footsteps of other Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi and Oppo, which have only become available in the EU over the last few years.
