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The Vivo Nex has a pop-up selfie cam -- here's how it works

Feast your eyes on the naked mechnical parts.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister

If you love gadgets, here's a sight to behold: The inner workings of the Vivo Nex phone. It's got a motorized pop-up selfie cam that helps maximize your screen real estate -- since the camera doesn't have to live on the front of the phone. No notch!  

We just unboxed this phone, but MyFixGuide has actually already torn it apart, revealing for the first time how that mechanism actually works.

Just look at it go.

MyFixGuide

Need a closer look? Here's a photo they took:

vivo-nex-teardown-16
MyFixGuide

As you can see, it's not a simple spring-loaded mechanism -- the motor spins a spiral-shaped gear that raises the platform up and down. And each time, the ribbon cable that connects the camera has to delicately fold and unfold. 

When you put it all together, this is the result:

CNET

It's not the only phone with a slide-out camera though. Check out the Oppo Find X:

sec-12-phone-6ef265ee51f19c1ac8a8df51184924fe983d15c0

The Oppo Find X.

Oppo

We're looking to bring you a full review of the Vivo Nex in the near future.