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Galaxy A8s is the first phone with Infinity-O design, hole-in-display tech houses 24MP selfie camera

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Dec 10, 2018, 8:01 AM

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Samsung Android

Galaxy A8s is the first phone with Infinity-O design, hole-in-display tech houses 24MP selfie camera

And so it begins. The hole-in-display era, that is. Samsung introduced the Infinity-O display as a twinkle in its designer team's eyes not long ago, but, lo and behold, we present you the Galaxy A8s.

While inconspicuously named, this is the first handset announced with a front camera pierced directly into the display, the so-called Hole-in-Active-Area technology.

Galaxy A8s design

Needless to say, that means very slim top bezel, and similarly anorexic side frame, with just the chin of the A8s reminding us of the phones of yesteryear. The shaved-off topper can only be achieved by moving the front camera somewhere else, and that different place is a hole in the top left of the display itself or the so-called Infinity-O concept.

The midrange Galaxy A8s has its notification and other icons appearing towards the middle of the status bar, freeing up space on the left... for the selfie camera hole in the pierced display itself.

There should be other interface shenanigans Samsung may have employed to achieve its Infinity-O display design and we would be curious to test how such a concept behave while watching videos, for example.

Galaxy A8s specs

Apart from the unique design, the A8s is no slouch when it comes to its specs, too, with 6GB/8GB RAM options and 128GB storage. The funny part is that nowhere is a Super AMOLED technology mentioned for the 6.4" display, so we'd have to assume that it is indeed an LCD panel, as rumored. For those curious about the resolution resulting from this hole-in-display design, it is 1080 x 2340 pixels, still amounting to 19.5:9 aspect ratio.

There is a triple camera on the back with a 24MP main sensor that is paired with f/1.7 aperture lens and a 10MP telephoto camera for 2x "optical" zoom. The third, 5MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture lens, is for depth-sensing duties. while the front-facing camera is a hearty 24MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture.

The obligatory fingerprint scanner on the back is situated far away from the camera area, thankfully, and Samsung has backed up all the A8s jazz with a 3,400 mAh battery pack. As can be expected from a 2018 Samsung midranger, it comes with Android 8.1 Oreo on board with Samsung's Experience 9 UI pairing.

Galaxy A8s price and release date

As a China-only model, for now, the A8s can be pre-ordered there starting 12/12, and will be released after 12/21 when the pre-order window runs out. It comes in Blue, Gray and Green colors in the trendy gradient hues.

Mum's the word on the exact pricing, or if and when the first phone with a selfie camera hole in the display will have a more global version, but there is not much more to wait before it all becomes clearer.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.