Samsung’s hol(e)y future has begun, with the brand launching the Galaxy A8s as the first smartphone with a circular cutout directly on the display. The company calls this its Infinity-O style, for obvious reasons.
The Galaxy A8s is currently only available in China. The rest of the world should follow soon enough. There’s no price tag yet, but we’re going to assume it’s in the upper mid-range section. The 24MP selfie camera is the star of the show here, strikingly peeking out of the 6.7mm wide hole.
The rest of the Samsung phone is mostly free from bezels, with the exception of a narrow ribbon at the bottom. Hands-on photos and videos reveal that the status bar accommodates the front-facing lens, making the bar fairly wide as a result. The icons themselves remain tiny. Only two appear beside the snapper, the rest are all pushed to the right side.
It remains to be seen whether consumers will embrace or reject this Infinity-O design. It might even serve to be a good litmus test for the upcoming Galaxy S10. The flagship lineup is also expected to get a hole drilled into its display, but the cutout may be on the right side instead of the left. Sadly, the A8s has let go of the headphone jack.
Specifications of the Samsung Galaxy A8s:
– Display: 6.4-inch 19.5:9, 1080 x 2340 pixels
– OS: Android 8.1 Oreo
– Storage: 128GB, expandable up to 512GB
– RAM: 6GB/8GB
– CPU: octa-core Snapdragon 710
– Camera: 24MP + 5MP + 10MP rear, 24MP front
– Battery: 3400mAh
– Connectivity: 4G, dual-SIM, Wi-Fi, NFC, USB Type-C, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS
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Samsung probably won’t be the last manufacturer to experiment with unusual displays. Even Huawei is expected to launch its own take on the hole-style panel soon. Meanwhile, the Korean brand has Infinity-V and Infinity-U notch displays to unveil in the future, as well as a completely uninterrupted New Infinity screen.