Images of the newest smartphone riding on the dual-screen trend have surfaced in Chinese microblog Weibo. Vivo, known for pioneering the pop-up camera on a smartphone, is said to be preparing the release of its NEX2 handset with two screens -- one on the front and one on the back.

Although Vivo has not confirmed the news, the leaked information on social media has the NEX2 is set for release by the end of this year priced at 4,000 yuan (US$577). The Weibo post shows the smartphone with three cameras on the back, but had no information about the other features on the right of those cameras.

The design is similar to that of a smartphone model from Nubia Technology, a subsidiary of Chinese telecommunications equipment maker ZTE Corp. The Nubia handset’s front screen has a bezel-less design with the camera put above the smaller back screen. Gamers can assign touch screen controls to the rear display, so their fingers would not block the gameplay on the front screen.

The Nubia X smartphone has a second screen on the back

Amid this trend of dual-display smartphones, netizens in China wonder if the smartphone makers churning out these new devices are simply looking to make an impression in the market as competition in the domestic market remains fierce.