This concept phone has a detachable camera with voice control (Updated)

Update: October 12, 2020 (7:54 AM ET): vivo has clarified details surrounding its IFEA concept phone with a detachable front camera. The company confirmed to Android Authority that the camera module can indeed be used on its own, separately from the host smartphone.

“The user can take out the camera module and control it remotely, which enables innovative shooting angles and application scenarios,” the brand explained to us.

vivo added that while the phone was just a concept, it will “continue to evaluate the potential use of the technology in a commercial phone.” So it looks like this could yet become a reality.

Original article: October 9 2020 (6:55 AM ET): vivo has always been at the forefront of smartphone design, especially when it comes to camera innovation. This year’s vivo Apex pioneered the under-display selfie camera, taking the lead from its predecessor, which was the first to introduce us to pop-up cameras. Now vivo is once again stealing the limelight with a new kind of smartphone camera — one that can be detached from the phone’s body.

Vivo’s new concept device with a detachable front camera is called the IFEA. It’s won the Red Dot Design Award (h/t Gizmochina) for its modular selfie camera that can be used as an independent device. From the looks of it, you can probably detach the camera unit from the main phone body and use it remotely.

According to its description on the Red Dot website, the detachable camera can be controlled using voice commands. Red Dot’s product summary further reads as follows:

IFEA has multiple accessories and support mechanisms with different modes to increase stability and storage. As a result, videos can be captured while walking or during sports, without any compromise to the visual stability. The device can be used seamlessly with the smartphone’s original camera.

Besides the image showing the detachable selfie camera, there’s another one on the Red Dot website that shows the display and the back of the vivo phone. As expected, The screen is seamless, sans any notches or punch holes. There’s a multi-cam setup at the back as well, suggesting that vivo will not make the selfie camera multitask as the primary camera of the phone.

It’s unclear how vivo plans to use this new modular camera design. Will it allow users to switch selfie camera modules, or can you simply detach the one on the phone for remote usage? We’ve reached out to vivo to clarify the concept and whether we’ll be seeing it on a future phone. We’ll update this article when we know more.

Also read: vivo X50 Pro review: One small step for performance, one giant leap in stability

Looking to save on some of the best smartphones, audio products, wearables, and more? Amazon Prime Day takes place Tuesday, October 13 and Wednesday, October 14. Head here to see all the best deals!