vivo X23 is official and slims down the notch and chin (Update: Launched)

Update, September 6, 2018 (01:25PM EST): vivo gave us a good look at its new vivo X23 device a few weeks ago, but we didn’t know specifics. Now the device is officially launched (via XDA Developers), so we know it all.

The vivo X23 will be available to order for 3,498 Chinese yuan (~$511) with a ship date of September 14th. It comes in three colors: Phantom Purple, Phantom Red, and Midnight Blue. There are also two variants with a giant vivo logo across the back in Fashion Purple and Fashion Orange.

The specs of the device are below:

Original Article, August 20, 2018 (11:28AM EST): Back in May, we posted our review of the vivo X21 – one of the first smartphones to market with an in-display fingerprint sensor. While the X21 is a neat device that we enjoyed our time with, there were certainly a lot of issues present that made it hard to recommend a purchase.

Now, only five months after the announcement of the vivo X21, vivo is launching a new device called the vivo X23. You can see it right now at the vivo website with a button that says “Make A Reservation” in Chinese.

The first thing you’ll notice about the vivo X23 as compared to the X21 is that the notch is way smaller on the newer device. The notch on the X21 looked much more like the iPhone X notch (or the notch on the OnePlus 6) while the notch on the X23 is more akin to the recently-revealed images of the OPPO R17 and OPPO F9.

While there are still those out there who will likely balk at any notch no matter what its design, it certainly is better to have these so-called waterdrop notches than the iPhone X-style notch that takes up a bulk of the top of the display.

The chin is also a bit smaller on the vivo X23, although without specific sizing specs we can’t tell by how much. But just looking at the two devices is enough to conclude that the X23’s chin is smaller.

The X23 also features a dual camera setup on the back, just like with the X21.

Unfortunately, the listing at vivo.com doesn’t give us any specs for the vivo X23. Rumor has it that the in-display fingerprint sensor is getting an upgrade over the X21 (which was a pain point in our review). Rumors also suggest the device will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 or 710, 8GB of RAM, a 6.4-inch AMOLED display, and USB Type-C connectivity.

It’s likely that the vivo X23 will get a full launch sometime in the next two weeks, so we should know specs, pricing, and a release date soon.

NEXT: vivo confirms Android 9.0 Pie for Q4 2018, may land on vivo X21 first