Samsung unveiled the Galaxy A8s yesterday. It's the most unique handset in the company's lineup right now as it has an Infinity-O display. A Galaxy A8s hands-on report from China brings us more information about this device. Samsung has not yet confirmed if the Galaxy A8s will be offered outside the People's Republic.
The Infinity-O display punches out a hole in the actual display area for the front camera. This implementation of the front camera has allowed for one of the highest screen-to-body ratios on a Samsung smartphone yet. The device also happens to be Samsung's first Galaxy A series smartphone with an LCD display.
Galaxy A8s hands-on details Samsung's first Infinity-O phone
The Galaxy A8s has a 6.4-inch 2340×1080 pixel resolution 19.5:9 aspect ratio display. The Infinity-O display allowed the company to stretch the display panel even further. Therefore, the Galaxy A8s has a screen-to-body ratio of 91.56 percent. The display hole houses a 24-megapixel f/2.0 aperture front camera. Samsung has also changed the earpiece design so that it does not occupy too much space at the top.
We've already told you that the Galaxy A8s does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. What it does have is a dedicated button for the Bixby smart assistant. It has the same triple camera system as the Galaxy A7 at the back. Additional specs include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor with up 6/8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The device is backed up by a 3,400mAh battery.
Samsung makes interesting use of the front camera cut out. You'd normally find a camera icon at the bottom right of the lock screen on a Samsung smartphone. Tap on it and swipe up to launch the camera without having to unlock the phone. You can do that on the Galaxy A8s as well but there's no button. Just swipe down dragging your finger over the front camera on the lock screen and the app will launch. An animated ring also illuminates the sensor when switching between the different camera modes.
Samsung is now taking pre-registrations for the device in China. It will be available online starting December 21st.
