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Could Vivo's pop-up phone camera be the future?
Thu, 21st Feb 2019
FYI, this story is more than a year old

This week at 2019 Mobile World Congress, Vivo unveiled its latest smartphone innovation - the V15Pro.

This is the company's first model after the NEX to incorporate the industry's first Elevating Front Camera, effectively a selfie-camera that pops up when you need it.

In addition to this innovation, the phone also comes equipped with three cameras on the back,  a full-screen that is effectively ‘bezel-less', In-Display Fingerprint Scanning, upgraded AI technology, and the Google Assistant built-in.

"Innovation is one of our core values. Aside from the industry's first Elevating Front Camera which gave us the ultimate bezel-less display, we are always looking to bring other game-changing features, such as higher-quality cameras and smarter AI services that transport the mobile experience to a new dimension," says Vivo senior vice president Spark Ni.

"The V15Pro is a clear example of our commitment to bringing advanced products to consumers from all around the world and from all walks of life."

Speaking of the pop-up camera, it comes equipped with a whopping 32MP and to allay any durability fears, Vivo asserts it is sturdy enough to withstand daily wear-and-tear.

The concept first debuted at 2018 Mobile World Congress and it was just that - a concept. Now it is a reality with the V15Pro's screen boasting a 91.64 percent screen-to-body ratio with its side and top bezels reduced to a razor-thin 1.75mm and 2.2mm respectively.

Vivo says the phone has AI-embedded solutions to enhance its photography experience. Its AI Triple Camera enables clarity and a wider perspective with a 48 Million Quad Pixel Sensor, 8MP AI Super Wide-Angle Camera (capable of expanding up to 120 degrees), and 5MP Depth Camera.

Its AI features include ‘AI Face Beauty' and ‘AI Portrait Framing', as well as ‘AI Super Night Mode' which is purported to make shaky night shots a thing of the past as it takes multiple photos at different exposures to then combine them to greatly improve brightness and clarity, meaning night scenes can be captured with a high level of detail and stability.

If you're feeling a bit porky, you don't need to go to the gym as you can just use the V15Pro's ‘AI Body Shaping' feature which enables users to adjust every aspect of their body like the waist and legs.

Now in its fifth-generation, Vivo's In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology ensures there is no need for a physical sensor pad, which means the back is relatively sleek. Vivo assures the scanning system is highly secure.

Like Apple's Siri and Samsung's Bixby, Vivo has an assistant of its own - Jovi, which is to work in parallel with Google's Assistant. In regards to how useful it will be only time will tell. There is a dedicated button on the side of the phone to activate the Google Assistant, while two clicks will bring up Jovi - take your pick!

Jovi has been designed to enable easy and fast online shopping with access to almost 100 mainstream eCommerce platforms.

The phone also comes with a mode for gamers - aptly named Game Mode 5.0 - which works to reduce frame-drop by 300 percent and increases smooth gameplay.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 675AIE Octa-core processor with 6GB/8GM RAM + 128 ROM.