OPPO shows off its crazy “Waterfall” display that goes beyond the edges

OPPO grabbed the world’s attention when it launched the Find X last year. The OPPO Find X was a pinnacle of smartphone design as it took the idea of an elevating front-facing camera to the next level. Instead of using a pop-up camera, the smartphone used a moving assembly which was as wide as the smartphone itself and featured an advanced 3D facial recognition system (just like Apple’s Face ID) along with the selfie camera. The moving part popped out and retracted into a socket at the top of the smartphone, not just concealing the front camera but also the dual cameras on the back, giving the OPPO Find X a clean and polished appearance.

Now, OPPO is gearing up to make headlines with another design innovation. OPPO’s VP Shen Yiren Brian shared images of an upcoming smartphone (which looks like a finished product and not a prototype) to flaunt the “Waterfall’ display that is laterally curved and goes much beyond the edges. From the images, this display appears to wrap around the sides of the OPPO smartphone.

Ice Universe, the renowned leaker, also shared a hands-on video of the smartphone. Notably, since the display wraps around the sides of the smartphone, the power button is placed on the top. Curiously, unlike the Galaxy Note Edge, the curved part is not dedicated to app shortcuts or previews of incoming notifications but simply intended to stretch the viewing area.

OPPO "Waterfall Screen" mobile phone demo（1） pic.twitter.com/s3qEXCp6QS

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) July 29, 2019

Based on several reports by the Chinese media, the display has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and the curvature of the arc along the edges is 88º, that is close to perpendicular. The body is reportedly thinner than the OPPO Find X but that may not be the only feat that the company has achieved here. We don’t see a front-facing camera on this smartphone and perhaps, the most favorable speculation here is that OPPO may be using the under-display camera technology that it showed off at MWC Shangai earlier this year.

Interestingly, OPPO’s sister company Vivo might also be working on a smartphone with a similar design. Last week Ice Universe also leaked the “screen glass” for the Vivo Nex 3 and according to them, the display has an aspect ratio of more than 100 percent. If you’re wondering how that may be possible, the aspect ratio is calculated as the ratio of the active area of the display to the area visible in a 2D projection of the display (i.e. when you look at the display directly from the front. The almost right angle curvature hides the visible sone part of the display on the sides.

This is the biggest leak today！ This is the screen glass of the vivo NEX 3 (probably the name). It is almost 90° curved, the mirror of glass and glass forms the outline of the phone, it is very symmetrical and perfect. pic.twitter.com/mP5Q1159lA

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) July 25, 2019

Although we do see really thin bands above and below the display (presumably the display’s packing), the >100% aspect ratio sounds like a convincing bid from the images. Not only is it convincing, but it is also very exciting. However, the actual significance and their addition to the user experience are yet to put under the lens, so we’ll wait patiently until there’s a more detailed announcement from either OPPO or Vivo. For now, details about the commercial availability of the smartphone are limited but we’ll update you as and when we learn more.

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Source 1: Weibo / Source 2: Weibo / Video demo via: Twitter

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