Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has unveiled its latest smartphone, the X5Max. The handset has a stainless steel construction and high-end internals, but distinguishes itself by offering the thinnest build we’ve ever seen on a smartphone.
Vivo may not be one of the biggest names in mobile, but its 4.75 mm (0.19 in) build makes it the thinnest smartphone on the market. By comparison, the also-thin iPhone 6 measures in at 6.9 mm (0.27 in) – 45 percent thicker than Vivo’s new device.
Interestingly, the handset is powered by a 64-bit Snapdragon CPU, but runs a skinned version of Android 4.4 KitKat. The recently launched 5.0 Lollipop flavour of Google’s mobile OS is the first to support 64-bit processing, meaning the X5Max won’t be able to take full advantage of its chip unless Vivo pushes out an update somewhere down the line.
The X5Max is a sizeable handset, carrying a 5.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 Super AMOLED display with 400 pixels per inch (PPI). The custom Android skin, which the company calls Funtouch, mimics the look of iOS 8, including quick settings that launch by swiping from the bottom of the screen (like iOS), as opposed to Android's swipe down from the top.
Despite the device’s tiny profile, the company has managed to squeeze in a full-sized 3.5 mm headphone port, and there’s a dual SIM tray on board that let’s the user fit either Micro and Nano SIM cards or a Micro SIM and microSD card.
The company has also placed an emphasis on audio with the new device, fitting dedicated audio chips and including a karaoke mode that lets the user sing along to their favourite tracks with added reverb and echo.
If you’re interested in picking up the X5Max then you might be out of luck for the time being, with a US launch yet to be confirmed. That said, the company’s previous releases have made their way to the States, so there’s a good chance the X5Max will follow suit.
The new handset is scheduled to land in China on December 12 for CN¥2,998 (about US$486).