Vivo Apex 2019 vs Meizu Zero: holeless phones comparison

Yesterday and today, Meizu and Vivo pushed the minimalism concept to the top by unveiling the world’s first smartphone with no ports, no hole, no speakers and no physical keys: Meizu Zero and Vivo Apex 2019. The latter is just a concept phone for now, but it is believed to hit the shelves later this year with some changes and a different name. Both the phones come with the cleanest design ever seen on a mobile device and the absence of ports, keys and so on is always replaced by more innovative technologies. Here is a comparison between the first holeless devices in the smartphone market.

Vivo Apex 2019 vs Meizu Zero

Design

I liked more the design of the Vivo Apex 2019 because it looks cleaner and more minimalist. Indeed, it has narrower bezels around the display, even though, on the other hand, it does not seem to have a front camera (Vivo did not confirm whether or not there is a pop-up camera). Further, the cameras on the back of the Vivo Apex 2019 are not included on a single protruding module like the Meizu Zero but they are separated, and the LED flash is barely visible unlike the one of the Meizu Zero. But if we talk about build quality, then maybe Meizu Zero is way better. Vivo did not mention whether or not the Apex 2019 is waterproof, but we know that Meizu Zero has an IP68 certification as well as a ceramic back. In both cases, the physical keys are replaced by touch control at the sides.

Display

We still have not enough info to establish which device has the best display. Both are AMOLED panels and both integrate an in-display fingerprint reader as well as a piezoelectric transductor which makes it double as a speaker. The differences we can notice are narrower bezels and the full-display fingerprint scanner on the Vivo Apex 2019, while Meizu Zero has thicker bezels on the upper and lower parts and a traditional in-display fingerprint reader that only works on a specific zone.

Hardware/Software

Vivo Apex 2019 features a way more advanced hardware, so it surely delivers a faster user experience and it is more suitable for productivity and heavy usage patterns. It comes with the most powerful chipset in the Android world: the octa-core Snapdragon 855 by Qualcomm, paired with 12 GB of RAM. Meizu Zero still has a Snapdragon 845 from 2018, so there is no way it can compete with its rival. But it will probably come with a more affordable price.

Camera

After announcing these handsets, the companies did not release all the details about their specs sheets, so we do not know everything. Among the things we do not know there are several camera specs. We just know the resolutions of Vivo Apex 2019’s rear cameras, while we do not even know whether or not it will feature a front camera. So we can not express a judgment on this.

Battery

Vivo and Meizu did not reveal the battery capacities of these phones, so we have no idea about how much they can last on a single charge. Given that they do not feature any port, they use alternative methods to charge the battery. Meizu Zero has Qi wireless charging that is more practical but slower, while Vivo Apex 2019 has the MagPort, a magnetic connector placed on the rear side for charging and data transfer.

Conclusion

At a first glance, I would choose the Vivo Apex 2019 because of its more futuristic design and its better hardware department. But it would be just a temporary decision because we still do not know the complete specs sheets of these phones, neither their price once they will be in the shelves (Apex 2019 is just a concept phone, so it will not even be released under this name and with those exact specifications). Do you like holeless phones or you think they are too limiting for the final user? Which one would you pick between Meizu Zero and Vivo Apex 2019?

• Read More: Meizu Zero holeless phone with 18W wireless charging announced with key specifications

Vivo Apex 2019 vs Meizu Zero: PRO and CONS

Meizu Zero

PROS

• Great ceramic design
• Wireless charging
• Holeless design
• Waterproof

CONS

• eSIM

Vivo Apex 2019

PROS

• Holeless and borderless design
• Outstanding hardware
• MagPort
• Full-Display fingerprint scanner

CONS

• Still a concept