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Vivo NEX S: What’s taking selfies with a pop-up camera like?

And other relevant questions about Vivo’s newest flagship

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“It has a pop-up selfie camera.” That was the only thing I heard when the Vivo NEX was announced, and all other features faded into the background. Seriously, my main excitement over this phone stems from the fact that it has a mechanical camera that comes out when you take photos with the front-facing camera.

How would it work? Why the technical maneuvering to make this camera happen? Would it break after the gajillion selfies I take in a day? These were all questions I needed answers to. So, it’s time for a quick review — and by quick, I mean I’m only tackling the key features. (You can read the full hands-on review here.)

What’s the deal with this phone anyway?

The Vivo NEX, to us mere mortals (your average non-techie consumer), looks like a typical smartphone. Until you have to scan your fingerprint and take a selfie, that is. Of course, a number of people have given praise to this handset for being the future of smartphones — and I can’t blame them. In a sea of identical notched devices, a camera with moving parts sounds oh so exciting.

You’ll realize that the hype is real when you finally get this baby in your hands. Anything that feels less than premium in my hands is a big no-no for me, and the NEX doesn’t disappoint in this regard. Unlike the previous midrange Vivo releases that didn’t quite do it for me, this handset has a good weight to it and you can definitely feel the glass build.

Sure, it comes in drab black, but if the light hits right, you can see colors of the rainbow. No, really:

It’s a nice lighting touch, though to be honest, it just looks more black in most lighting scenarios. I’m pretty disappointed I’m not the dazzling unicorn I thought I’d be by using this phone, but that’s just me.

Do we really need all that screen?

A 91+ percent screen ratio is a big deal in terms of measurement and smartphone hype, but it’s just a bunch of numbers to me. Admittedly, however, the wider screen experience is good — the obsession with a wider screen in a smaller phone body is understandable for people with smaller hands like mine.

Speaking as someone who hides the notch when I have the option to, the lack of screen obtrusion is refreshing. More screen means a literal bigger picture, which is great when being viewed on a massive 6.59-inch Super AMOLED screen. As much as I’d love to say that’s a problem for the small-screened population, it’s the lack of standard in screen ratios that’s the real culprit, so I’ll leave it at that.

How does the fingerprint sensor feel?

Hidden in plain sight is the fingerprint sensor. Yes, it’s in the display! You know where to scan your fingerprint because when the phone’s locked, the area of the screen where you’re supposed to put your finger lights up.

How does this new technology fare? Well, it’s decent. Compared to other fingerprint scanners which take less than a second to unlock with a slight touch from your finger, the in-display sensor on this thing is less sensitive and it takes longer. You’d have to hold your finger precisely on the correct area of the screen for a second or two.

Call me spoiled, but in a time of talking refrigerators, that two-second delay feels so long. Impressive as an under-display fingerprint sensor may be, anything longer than a second just feels so laggy to impatient old me, especially since the only two options to unlock this phone is via the sensor or entering a code (which is so 2010). The phone isn’t equipped with face unlock technology since, to get to the front-facing camera, you’d need the phone unlocked.

Vivo offers an alternative to all this in the form of the lower-priced Vivo NEX A, though, so problem solved. That version of the NEX has an actual fingerprint scanner  — the usual fast one — on the back of the phone.

What’s taking selfies with a pop-up camera like?

First of all, I’d like to admit: Taking selfies with a pop-up camera is pretty cool. The reaction I get when other people see this moving part on my phone is priceless.

How it works is the camera pops up every time you flip the camera to selfie mode. The whole thing barely makes a sound, though there are options to add a sound effect every time the cam came out, but I refused to turn that on because who wants an alert every time a selfie is attempted? It’s a pretty smooth movement so once the novelty faded out, there were times I even forgot it was happening.

Forgetting that tiny protruding camera was actually what scared me. One too many times, I’d accidentally tap the selfie camera option and, without me noticing, the camera would come out. This happened in my bag, in my hands, or even on my cluttered desk, and every time I was scared I’d break this tiny moving part.

Sure, Vivo said they did drop tests and that the camera can pop up to 50,000 times (Chay did the math: That’s 137 years if you only take one selfie per day), but does that mean it’s Isa-proof? It did survive more than a week in my hands, but I don’t think that thing would’ve survived a solid drop if it so happened with the camera out. (Because let’s be honest, everyone drops their phones.)

The selfie camera on the NEX is pretty good and I love how its AI beauty mode is so subtle but effective. Of course, the beauty mode can still be too much at optimum settings, but who told you to amp up the filter that high, Brenda?

Additionally, the rear cameras are pretty good, too. Honestly, it’s a pretty capable IG camera. See for yourself:

For more photo samples, check out our 24 Hours at the World Cup with the Vivo NEX.

Do I likey?

Me likey what I’ve seen so far.

If you’re in the business of reviewing phones and gadgets, it’s easy to get bored with all the identical phones being churned out nowadays. That being said, it’s also easy to get carried away by something just by virtue of it being different.

Truth be told, this is one solid phone from Vivo. Honestly, it’s a flagship that I would totally use, even for just the selfie camera. But, on top of it being novel, I’m happy to report that it performs well, all things considered. Despite caveats, it’s a phone that pushes boundaries and dares to stray from what conventional smartphones are making.

And, don’t we all love that exciting wildcard? C’mon, live a little and take poppin’ (pun intended) selfies along the way.

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Prime Video releases 1st-look image of Sophie Turner as Lara Croft

Production now officially underway

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January 16, 2026

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Prime Video has announced that production for the new Tomb Raider series is now officially underway.

In addition, it also teased audiences by releasing the first-look image of Sophie Turner as Lara Croft.

In the photo, the 29-year-old English actress dons the iconic Lara Croft outfit, with a dark teal top, tight fit shorts, and belt with twin gun holsters.

Turner is known for her appearance in the Game of Thrones series, as well as her portrayal of Jean Grey in two X-Men movies.

Based on the legendary video game franchise, the series follows the globe-trotting adventures of the world-famous archaeologist and reimagines the beloved character for a new generation.

Aside from Turner, the upcoming series stars the following actors:

  • Sigourney Weaver
  • Jason Isaacs
  • Martin Bobb-Semple
  • Jack Bannon
  • John Heffernan
  • Bill Paterson
  • Paterson Joseph
  • Sasha Luss
  • Juliette Motamed
  • Celia Imrie
  • August Wittgenstein

Phoebe Waller-Bridge leads the series production, serving as creator, writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner.

She is joined by Chad Hodge as co-showrunner and executive producer. Meanwhile, Jonathan Van Tulleken will serve as director and producer.

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Entertainment

Now Playing: Rental Family

This will get your tears flowing.

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January 16, 2026

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In Eat Pray Love, recent divorcee Liz Gilbert goes on a journey of self-discovery by travelling to Italy, India, and Bali. Someone should tell Gilbert that Japan is everyone’s preferred Eat Pray Love destination these days. Today, tourists from all over the world like going to Japan because of its different, almost perfect serene, culture.

However, the truth of Japan is less romantic than what’s shown in travelogues: absurd working hours, not enough time for personal life, and societal pressures to do only what’s expected. It’s this Japan that Rental Family wants you to see.

Truths

In Rental Family, Brendan Fraser plays Phillip Vanderploeg, a struggling American actor living in Japan. After failing to land a gig outside of the odd commercial here and there, an unconventional opportunity suddenly lands on his lap: to work for a rental family agency, which provides stand-ins for social situations. In one case, Philip pretends to be a young woman’s groom, so her family doesn’t ask questions when she moves and starts a life of her own in Canada.

It’s no surprise that Philip exclaims a loud “the f*ck?” when he first realizes what the firm does. Aiko (Mari Yamamoto), one of his colleagues, explains that this is how Japan works. Instead of paying for therapy, the Japanese people would rather pay for someone to pretend for them. For an outsider looking in, the practice seems strange, but it’s real. Rental family agencies have been around for a while.

Despite Aiko’s insistence that this is a Japanese phenomenon, Philip eventually understands that these agencies provide something more than just a country-exclusive need: the desire to be seen and to be heard.

Rental Family is a film that speaks to everyone. Often, we need someone to fill those gaps in our lives: a missing father, a missing lover, a missing friend. It’s a truth that should feel self-evident, but the film remains a poignant reminder of whatever, whoever is missing in our lives. We see ourselves in Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto), a retired actor who just wants a friend before his memory withers away. We see ourselves in Mia Kawasaki (Shannon Mahina Gorman), a young girl whose father left her.

And lies

Philip plays a multitude of roles: a father, a journalist, a cheerleader, a groom, a friend. It’s his job to play a role so credible that his client believes in the illusion. Essentially, he’s a professional liar.

However, Philip finds himself also believing in the same lies he’s crafted. He gets attached to a few of his clients, especially Mia whom he quickly becomes close to, as if as her real father. Even when his boss Shinji (Takehiro Hira) tells him not to get too personal with his clients, he cares for them beyond his initial assignment.

It’s the lie that makes the movie so believable. Who among us has never felt inadequate to play a certain role? Too incompetent to be a father, a lover, and a friend?

Ironically, the one who plays the part most authentically is the one person willing to build the lie, Philip. He becomes a better companion to their clients than the people closest to them. As the saying goes, “fake it ‘till you make it.”

Sometimes, the mask slips. Sometimes, Philip’s boss warns him that he’s too close, or a client ends the relationship themselves. When this happens, Philip has to confront the lie, which can mean that he tells his client that he was lying.

And yet, he doesn’t leave as if it’s just the conclusion of a deal. He opens up and makes himself vulnerable. He confronts what he did and promises to do better. Lying is easier, and we lie all the time. We tell ourselves that we’re the best at what we do. If we do it enough, we start to believe.

But Rental Family is about the truth behind the lie. An untruth can be the foundation, but a relationship only truly prospers with being vulnerable. It’s about realizing that, just as the other person needs us, we also need them. We’re all rental families in our own way.

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Entertainment

One Piece: Into the Grand Line ‘Rise of the Baroques’ teaser revealed

Lera Abova excels as Miss All-Sunday, additional villains previewed

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January 14, 2026

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Courtesy: Netflix

Netflix has officially revealed the “Rise Of The Baroques” teaser trailer of One Piece: Into the Grand Line.

The action-packed trailer puts focus on the dangerous and formidable secret society, the Baroque Works.

There was a lot of screen time for Lera Abova, excelling as Miss All-Sunday. This includes a conversation with Monkey D. Luffy wherein she warns the Straw Hats leader of possible dangers.

The clip then shifts to most of the explosive action that is about to unfold in the season, including the perilous quests the Straw Hats are about to take on as they sail into the Grand Line.

Courtesy: Netflix

In the process, the teaser trailer has revealed the additional cast playing the other Baroque Works members:

  • Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday
  • Lera Abova as Nico Robin/Miss All-Sunday
  • David Dastmalchian asMr. 3
  • Camrus Johnson asMr. 5
  • Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine
  • Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9
  • Sophia Anne Caruso as Miss Goldenweek

Season 2 of the Netflix live-action adaptation of One Piece officially sets sail on March 10.

In this season, a the Straw Hat pirates search for the world’s greatest treasure, they will encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies.

The series stars Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Taz Skylar, Emily Rudd, and Jacob Romero. Watch the “Rise Of The Baroques” trailer below:

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