Samsung Galaxy A8s teased with an all-new camera cut-out screen
Samsung is revamping its mid-range devices with a strategy to attract a younger audience in the developing markets. Exhibit A: Galaxy A7 with triple cameras; Exhibit B: Galaxy A9 with a quad-camera setup. And taking this strategy a notch up, Samsung has teased Galaxy A8s with an all-screen design and a one-of-a-kind cut-out for the front camera. Here's how Samsung is re-inventing smartphone screen.
Here's how Samsung is re-defining the smartphone screen
Apple iPhone X popularized the notch - a display cut-out to pack the front camera and sensors. However, recently, OPPO and Vivo re-imagined the notch to offer a water-drop like cut-out so as to offer more screen real-estate. And now, Samsung has teased a bezel-less design on its Galaxy A8s, achieved by having a small, circular cut-out to house the front camera and sensors.
How is Samsung's cut-out different from others?
Interestingly, while all existing cut-outs are positioned around the top-bezel, Samsung's circular cut-out appears to be a tiny hole in the display. This means the hole will be more evident and noticeable once the screen is turned on. That said, this design should allow Galaxy A8s to boast a screen-to-body ratio of over 90% and a taller aspect ratio of around 19:9.
How will the software leverage this new design?
With the existing notches, OEMs use the so-called "ears" (left and right side of the notch) to display time, network, battery level, and other notification badges. However, with this 'odd' hole in the screen, it will be interesting to see how Samsung and other app developers leverage the screen space. Notably, hiding the hole (or simply ignoring it) will be a lot more challenging.
