Galaxy A8S is the first Samsung smartphone to feature an Infinity-O display

While the Galaxy S10 has dominated the headlines in the build-up to the Galaxy Unpacked event on the 20th of February, another mid-range Galaxy phone has flown under the radar.

And its launch means that the Galaxy S10 models won’t be the first Samsung phones to feature the Infinity-O display. The Galaxy A8s announced last month is now the first Samsung phone to feature an Infinity-O display; however, the phone only went on sale in China.

Samsung is likely to rebrand the Galaxy A8s as the Galaxy A9 Pro (2019) before releasing it for global audiences. So, let’s take a look at what’s under the hood of Samsung’s latest mid-range premium smartphone –

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset coupled with 6GB of RAM make the A8s a versatile mid-range powerhouse. The Galaxy A8s runs on a 3400 mAh battery and Android 8.1 Oreo that will likely be updated to Android Pie OS. The A8s features 128GB of native storage, expandable up to 512GB via MicroSD cards.

Samsung’s latest mid-range offering boasts a triple camera setup – 24-megapixel primary sensor, 10-megapixel telephoto lens and a 5-megapixel depth. The punch-hole display on the front of the phone houses a 24-megapixel camera.

The Galaxy A8s features a 6.4-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) IPS LCD with 403 pixels per inch and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio covered by a 2.5D curved glass.

The A8s also includes face unlocking, fingerprint sensor, Compass/ Magnetometer, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor and Gyroscope.

The Galaxy A8s is a highly-functional and powerful mid-range smartphone and will undoubtedly offer excellent camera performance. The A8s is rumoured to be priced at approximately Rs 30,000 in Indian markets.

However, one area where the A8s really disappoints is the display. Going with an LCD panel rather than an OLED one was perhaps the worst move on the A8s.

To conclude, the A8s isn’t the best high-end mid-range smartphone, but it isn’t the worst either.