Samsung's first commercial device with a hole in the display will soon be made official. Samsung has the launch date for the Galaxy A8s set for December 10, and the device has now been certified by the Bluetooth SIG. This comes just two days after the Galaxy A8s got its Wi-Fi certification. As expected, the Bluetooth certification doesn't reveal anything new, only that the phone will support Bluetooth 5.0.
The Galaxy A8s is shaping up to be an upgraded version of the Galaxy A7 (2018) with Samsung's new Infinity-O display. It's also expected to be the first Galaxy smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 710 chipset. The rest of the specs are quite similar, with the three rear cameras of the A7 (2018) and the not-so-latest version of Android Oreo along for the ride on the A8s. Not that the version of Android will matter. Even the Galaxy A9 (2018) runs Android 8.0 instead of 8.1, but it does get the latest version of Samsung's camera app and some flagship-grade features.
Other specs should include 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and a 3,400 mAh battery. The Infinity-O display will have a 24-megapixel front camera residing on the left hand side. The rear cameras will include an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens with F2.4 aperture, a 24-megapixel F1.7 lens for regular photos, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor for bokeh shots.
It's unclear when the Galaxy A8s will hit retail. Rumors have indicated a January 2019 release, but it's possible the handset will be available for purchase in the Chinese market sometime in December. We'll know for sure on December 10 when Samsung takes the wraps off the device following a teaser at the Galaxy A9 (2018) launch two months ago.
