Vivo is known for bold design and innovation. The company was the first to launch smartphones with in-display fingerprint sensor and pop-up camera. But it is yet to release a phone with a slider mechanism, which might become a reality according to a patent filed by the brand.

The Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has recently filed a design patent. The sketches show a smartphone with a slider mechanism. This is not the first time we are seeing such a handset. The world has already witnessed devices like Oppo Find X, Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, Honor Magic 2 3D, and Lenovo Z5 Pro with a similar design.

This smartphone design became obsolete within a year or so, possibly because of durability issue. But the pop-up camera design is still relevant today to achieve full-screen experience without any obstruction. So why did Vivo file such design patent now?

The Nex lineup of devices by Vivo comes with groundbreaking modern design. But before debuting as a consumer product, the company showcases it in the form of Apex concept smartphone. Hence, this patent could end up being one of the models under either of the two series.

Talking about the design, the slider part houses the primary camera as well as flash module hidden underneath. Sliding it up should technically expose the front camera, however, the sketch shows a blank space. Perhaps, the design is simply a placeholder. Other than that, we can see the phone to sport a quad-camera setup and curved corners. It also looks to have a display with a longer 21:9 screen ratio. 

A Vivo smartphone with this design may never see the light of the day as companies file patents frequently but not all come into fruition.

 

(Source)