Vivo Laughs Off 'Bendgate' With X5 Max, World's Thinnest Smartphone

by Brandon Hill — Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 11:50 AM EDT

At some point, smartphone manufacturers are just going to have to call it a day and stop with this ambition to go thinner and thinner (at the expense of battery life). In late October, Oppo stunned the tech community with its R5 that boasts a 5.2” 1080p display while measuring just 4.85mm thin.

Now it’s Chinese OEM Vivo’s turn with the announcement of the X5 Max, a 5.5” phablet that measures just 4.75mm thin. And unlike the Oppo R5, the Vivo X5 Max manages to fit in a full-size 3.5mm headphone jack onboard instead of relying on the microUSB port and an accompanying adapter.

Specs wise, the Vivo X5 is well equipped with a 64-bit, octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor paired with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD slot for storage expansion (up to 128GB), LTE connectivity, dual SIM slot, 2000 mAh battery, a 13MP rear camera (Sony IMX214 sensor), and a 5MP camera up front for selfies and video chatting. Vivo even found space to throw in a Yamaha YSS-205X sound processor for the audiophiles out there.

As for the operating system, the smartphone runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but you will be subjected to Funtouch OS 2.0 skin that runs atop the main OS.

According to GizmoChina, the smartphone will have a price tag of around $485 when it launches in China on December 22. But for now, you can check out a hands-on look at the Vivo X5 in the video below:

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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