Are hardware buttons on a phone really a necessity? Manta, a China-based manufacturer, doesn’t seem to think so. Namely, it is planning to announce a phone without any physical buttons whatsoever soon, called the Manta X7. The X7 will use a proximity sensor instead of physical buttons to shift on-screen buttons so that it becomes easier for you to tap on them.
Now, this wouldn’t be the first phone to come without buttons on the front – the Nexus 5 and the LG G3 both had their keys moved to the back panel. However, the Manta X7 will work with no buttons, which means that its body will be completely “clean”.
The sides of the phone will have touch sensitive panels, where you’ll be able to adjust the volume on your device, but it’s still uncertain whether the X7 will be turned off and on the same way. If the report of the proximity sensor is correct, the Manta X7 will detect how you’re holding your phone, and based on that shift the dialer, keypad, and other panels closer to your thumb.
There’s little we know about the X7 at the moment – aside from the proximity sensor, the Manta X7 will arrive with its custom OS, on top of Android, named MO7os. Some rumours also include a MediaTek processor.
The company is yet to announce the release date and the list of specs, but the phone most likely won’t make it out of Asia.
What do you think about the Manta X7?