Oppo, like most smartphone vendors, is looking for new and interesting ways to entice consumers, and is currently at the forefront of an emerging trend of Chinese manufacturers to deliver near bezel-free, edge-to-edge displays on handsets, like the Sharp AQUOS Crystal. Its upcoming device, which has been leaked via numerous channels throughout China, appears as though it has bits missing either side of the display, and while it’s an interesting concept, one has to wonder whether the cool-looking gadget would make any practical sense.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, like the Note Edge before it, offers something completely new and exciting with its curved display, and as such, the buzz surrounding the Korean company’s upcoming flagship is substantial. Companies like Oppo don’t have the means to deliver an Edge-like device at this moment in time, though, and instead, appears to be pinning hopes on a device that still tries to stake claim to the “Edge” moniker.
The unnamed device you see before you does have a certain aesthetic appeal, but with no bezel on either side of the display, it seems like it’d be quite difficult to hold without accidentally disrupting the user interface. It’s tedious enough trying to avoid inadvertent key presses at the best of times, and while fans of high-end design have long called for the demise of the bezel, this brainchild of Oppo’s suggests that removing it entirely mightn’t be the solution.
In case you were wondering, the software running in this instance is Oppo’s Color OS, and if the company is to sell the idea that this handset is 2015’s big thing, one suspects that interface will need touching up. Looking at the beauty of Lollipop’s Material Design and the clean, flat finish that has graced iOS since late 2013, the Android-based Color OS appears very dated by comparison, and with software being quite high up on the list of considerations for smartphone buyers, sorting it out should be more of a priority for Oppo than the supposed need to scrape every last millimeter off the bezel.
What do you think of this device, does it have genuine potential? Or does it instead show that Oppo, despite its fast growth in China, is actually out of its depth versus Apple, Samsung, HTC et al in every department except price?
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(via: Engadget China [Google Translate])
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