Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo may be working on a new device with an almost bezel free touchscreen. A set of leaked photos and a video show a large phone with a screen that reaches the edge of the body, much like the Sharp Aquos Crystal released last year.
Updated on 04-17-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in new pictures showing the bezel-less Oppo phone in more detail.
New leaked pictures have given us a better look at the next smartphone Chinese manufacturer Oppo could launch. Despite several leaks, there’s still no name associated with the device, although there are some calling it the R7. There’s no indication this is final though. Check out the new images below, which show what’s expected to be a 5.5-inch touchscreen fitted to a potentially 4.85mm thick body. Combine that with the bezel-less screen, and the phone is looking very special indeed.
Before these latest images surfaced, a video showing the Oppo smartphone in action was also released. Putting any fears the initial leaked pictures were fakes, the video proves the phone is at the very least, a working prototype. Check out the moment where a promo video is played on the device, and the full extent of the screen’s image is revealed.
The first images of the bezel-less phone came a short while before the video, and were published on a Chinese website, where it was stated the screen measures 5.5-inches. Nothing else about the phone’s specs are mentioned. We can speculate though, as the company has already pledged to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor in future hardware, and has talked about including innovative cameras to make its new phones stand out from the crowd. However, if the screen looks like this, then we’d pay attention regardless of how cool the camera is.
Recently, an Oppo patent was discovered showing an unusual way of creating a curved, bezel-free display, but without the massive expense associated with phones like the Galaxy Note Edge. According to the patent, a normal screen is hidden under a specially shaped transparent panel, which projects the image in a clever way, fooling us into thinking there’s no bezel on the phone. This could explain why in one picture, the screen appears curved at the edge, but not in the other.
It’s not certain whether the pictured phone uses this technology, or is even a model planned for production, but it’s certainly very eye-catching. Oppo’s not the only one working on minimizing the bezel on its phones either. Aside from the new Galaxy S6 Edge, LG has shown a display panel with a 0.7mm bezel, and we’re expecting a similarly edge-free phone, perhaps called the Nubia Z9, from ZTE very soon.
