The Galaxy A8s is rumored to become the very first Samsung-branded smartphone to ship with a display camera hole, and a new leak from China adds some more fuel to the fire. If you take a look at the provided image, you will notice the Galaxy A8s’ alleged screen protector, and it’s really not difficult to notice a display camera hole in the upper-left corner of this screen protector. In addition to that, this screen protector also sports a tiny cutout for the phone’s earpiece at the top, while the bottom bezel is ever-so-slightly thicker than the upper one. Judging by this screen protector, the Galaxy A8s may actually be almost completely bezel-less, aside from that display camera hole, of course. This screen protector actually seems to be curved on the side a bit, but that’s probably just a sign that the Galaxy A8s will sport a curved glass on top of its display, not that its display will be curved or anything of the sort. The display camera hole is rumored to measure 6.7mm in diameter, and judging by this image, that could actually happen, as that display hole seems to be rather large.
Background: Samsung had teased the arrival of the Galaxy A8s a couple of weeks back, and during its press conference, the company actually suggested that the device will sport an in-display camera hole. The company patented quite a few such designs lately, but it remains to be seen when will this phone become official. The Galaxy A8s will be a part of the company’s mid-range Galaxy A series of devices, which is not all that surprising, as Samsung loves to test out new features and design cues on mid-range devices. The very first Samsung-branded phone with three cameras on the back belongs in the Galaxy A series, same goes for the company’s very first quad-camera smartphone, the Galaxy A9. The Galaxy A8s is actually expected to launch really soon, but it remains to be seen when, as the company still did not announce a date or anything of the sort.
Impact: The Galaxy A8s probably won’t be the only Samsung-branded phone to sport an in-display camera hole, not for long, as the company is expected to introduce a slew of such phones in 2019. In fact, the Galaxy S10 is expected to sport an in-display camera hole, at least if rumors are to be believed, though the Galaxy S10 will sport a curved display (at least some variants will), and thinner displays than the Galaxy A8s, which suggests that the Galaxy S10 may actually be completely bezel-less, but there’s a catch, of course, that in-display camera hole. These are only rumors for the time being, though, we’ll have to wait for February next year, when the company is expected to announce the Galaxy S10, so that we can see what exactly does Samsung have in store for us in 2019. While we’re waiting for that to happen, the Galaxy A8s will almost certainly become official, chances are that this phone will launch before the end of the year, but as already mentioned, nothing has been set in stone just yet.