Samsung’s Galaxy S10 leaks with new Infinity-O display cutout

A new year, another phone leak. It’s no secret that Samsung is launching the Galaxy S10 this year, likely sometime in late February. By now the rumor mill is running in full force. We’ve seen many renders of the device and some sketchy leaks,  but now we have a clear look at the device courtesy of ever-reliable leaker Evan Blass.

Samsung Galaxy S10 "Beyond 1," in the wild. pic.twitter.com/EMquh59Kln

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 3, 2019

Okay, so maybe it’s not the clearest look in the world, with so much of the image censored. Still, it seems to confirm the hole-in-the-screen design mentioned in other rumors.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise though. Back in November, Samsung previewed four upcoming designs to reduce the bezel, including two with small notches, the above hole-in-the-screen, and one without a notch or cut-out:

Top Notch#Samsung teases three ‘Infinity’ notch designs, notchless ‘New Infinity’ display.
Infinity V comes with V-notch screen
Infinity U comes with U-notch screen
Infinity O comes with O-type screen
New Infinity display features no bezels or notches. Which one do you want? Mm pic.twitter.com/qyW9qwvrGS

— AndroidStud (@AndroidStud) November 8, 2018

Samsung is expected to release the S10 in 5.8, 6.1, and 6.4-inch sizes. The 6.4-inch model (the S10+) is believed to feature two front-facing cameras, making the cut-out more of an ellipse. The company also recently announced the Galaxy A8S which beat the S10 to the punch with a larger version of the Infinity-O design.

While I’m most excited to see what that pristine ‘New Infinity’ screen will look like, the Infinity-O display at least stands out in a sea of notches. I suspect some users would rather Samsung just stick to a thicker bezel, but I find the Infinity-O to be a decent compromise.

It’s also worth noting Samsung isn’t the only manufacturer working with on this design approach. The Huawei’s Honor Nova4 and V20 both feature similar display tech, and I expect the hole-in-the-screen will become a popular alternative to the notch in 2019 and beyond.