Forward-looking: Oppo has long been a company that isn't afraid to innovate when it comes to new phone technologies. Now, the Chinese giant has revealed a prototype handset that takes the idea of curved displays to the extreme: the 'waterfall screen.'

Phone displays with curved edges have been around since Samsung's 2014 Note Edge. The feature is used to create to the virtually bezel-less Infinity Display found on its flagships since the S8, but the curves on Oppo's device are anything but gentle. Both sides have an 88-degree slope, meaning the bezels are pretty much invisible when viewed head-on. This should also give the device a 100 percent (or near) screen-to-body ratio.

The design, which was shown off by Oppo vice-president Brian Shen on Weibo, does raise a few questions. It appears that the app icons wrap completely around the screen, which could mean it'll be easy to accidentally touch them while holding the device. There are obviously no side buttons, suggesting they'll be placed at the top or simply be absent altogether. And there's no notch or a top bezel large enough for camera sensors. With Oppo and Xiaomi recently posting videos of in-development under-display selfie cameras, could this prototype use the technology, or will it be a popup camera like what we've seen in other handsets?

 

It appears Oppo isn't the only one working on a phone with steep sides and a high screen-to-body ratio. Vivo, which has the same parent company---BBK Electronics---is reportedly using two pieces of glass with 90-degree curves in its Vivo Nex 3, giving it a screen-to-body ratio of over 100 percent.