Many of the tech companies have been conceptualizing on the possible release of new phones. Samsung, for example, has already unveiled its foldable phone. Thus, Meizu has also attempted to release a "Holeless" phone. However, the CEO said that it is just a publicity stunt.
Jack Wong is the CEO of Meizu. In a candid post in the company's official forums, he admitted that a current crowdfunding campaign happened for the Meizu Zero. It would be the "World's First Holeless Phone." Thus, he said that it is a little more than a publicity stunt.
Jack Wong said that "This crowdfunding project was just the marketing team messing about. The holeless phone is just a development project from the R&D department. We never intended to mass-produce this project," according to Engadget.
The comments of Jack Wong certainly reflect the reality if the IndieGoGo campaign. It has gained extensive attention from the press. But, it still unsuccessful to be able to hit the $100,000 funding goal. Regardless of using its advanced technology to achieve its port-free design.
'Zero' holeless phone was a marketing stunt, says Meizu CEOhttps://t.co/N6xoCB6Xus — NewsBytes (@NewsBytesApp) March 7, 2019
The port free design includes wireless charging, eSim support, capacitive touch buttons, and the wireless USB data transfer. The phone was built with an outdated Snapdragon 845 processor. Thus, it is a bit hard to justify given the asking price of $1,299, according to The Verge.
Thus, fortunate enough, Meizu set a fixed funding goal for the project. Instead of the flexible goals used by the majority of the IndieGoGo projects, the campaign finished off without any of the investors losing their money. If the company use the flexible goal, it would have allowed the company to collect money whether or not they have hit the target.
Meanwhile, Wong claims that the phone is just a development project. But Mashable discovered at the MWC, a semi-functional prototype. It was found to be hidden without a proper label at the Qualcomm's booth. Thus, it is not yet clear if the prototype will be released as a commercial device in the future.
The Meizu Zero is the answer of the company to Vivo's 2019 edition APEX concept smartphone. Both models are minimalistic and lack the typical openings such as the physical buttons, speaker grill, headphone jack, USB port, and the earpiece. However, both companies admitted that the devices are not truly holeless devices. The phones still require a tiny opening to pick up audio.
