Chinese telecommunications regulator TENAA recently released images of Samsung’s upcoming mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy A8s. These photographs corroborate the details revealed in a render of the handset leaked last month. While there are few design details observable from the front, the photographs show that the Galaxy A8s will have three vertically aligned rear cameras placed near its upper-left corner. Below the triple-camera setup is the LED flash, as well as an oval-shaped fingerprint scanner. The left side of the device contains a dedicated button for Samsung’s virtual assistant, Bixby, the images reveal.
TENAA also provided a few details about the specifications of the Galaxy A8s. The regulator states that the device, which has the model number SM-G8870, will have a 6.39-inch display. The smartphone will likely sport a dual-SIM card slot and will support the dual SIM dual standby functionality. The handset will have a 3,300mAh battery, according to recent reports, and supports a wide range of mobile network standards, including TD-LTE, FDD-LTE, GSM, WCDMA, and cdma2000 protocols. Moreover, TENAA notes that the Galaxy A8s will have a length of 158.4 millimeters, a width of 74.9 millimeters, and a thickness of 7.4 millimeters.
Background: The Samsung Galaxy A8s will be among the first smartphones that will include a display hole for its front-facing camera and sensors, as opposed to other devices which includes a notch to accommodate imaging modules while pushing for a high screen-to-body ratio. Other handsets with display holes that will reportedly be launched by the end of the year include the Huawei Nova 4 and the Lenovo Z5s. Moreover, Samsung and OPPO will reportedly release additional smartphones with display holes next year.
According to previously leaked renders, the Galaxy A8s will have very thin bezels and a 6.7mm display hole. A USB Type-C port will be found at the bottom as well. The front-facing camera placed inside the display hole will reportedly have a 24-megapixel sensor, while the triple-lens setup at the back of the device will be equipped with 24-megapixel, 5-megapixel, and 10-megapixel modules, according to recent rumors. The device will feature the Snapdragon 710 chipset from Qualcomm, and will reportedly come with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal flash storage. Newest rumors further indicate that instead of an OLED panel, the Galaxy A8s will utilize a FullHD+ LCD manufactured by Chinese BOE, and several variants of the handset will have color gradients on their rear panels.
Impact: Samsung will reportedly launch the Galaxy A8s on December 10 and the device will first become available in China, as suggested by the existence of the newly unveiled certificate. Furthermore, the Galaxy A8s introduces a new smartphone design to the market, which allows for a near bezel-less display at the expense of an unconventional cutout near the top of such panels. More Android devices with the same design language will reportedly appear soon, including Samsung’s upcoming flagship offering, the Galaxy S10. Whether the rest of the industry follows suit remains to be seen, though some major names like Huawei are said to already be planning to do so.
