Notches out, 'hole-punch' displays in

As the much awaited release of Samsung’s Galaxy S10 lineup draws near, several leaks have shown that the upcoming S10, S10 Plus and S10E models will not have notches but instead get hole-punch displays.

Notches, supporting tabs surrounding cameras on a bezel-less screen, have been a hit in smartphone design last year but were a miss for some users for they still obstruct view on the top screen. With hole-punch displays, new smartphones will have in-screen holes that will house the cameras. The design allows for more screen space and a true no-bezel smartphone look.

Samsung will be unveiling the Galaxy S10 models on February 20 at its Unpacked event in San Francisco. The S10 and S10 Plus will be sporting three cameras at the rear, each with different functions: one main camera, one for zooming and one for taking wide-angle photos.

Samsung is not the only smartphone maker wanting to achieve a better edge-to-edge display. Earlier this year, Honor already released an upper mid-range phone with a hole-punch display, the Honor View 20. The smartphone has been given good reviews since its launch. Several other mobile phone brands, including Xiaomi and Nokia, are also poised to follow suit.

Just like how the notch has quickly become mainstream in smartphones, expect hole-punch displays to be a big smartphone sourcing trend this year. Keep an eye out for bezel-less phones with hole-punch displays from your Asia manufacturers. Stock up on these innovations for the smartphone market is returning to growth this year, according to Counterpoint Research in a CNN report. Fresh designs such as hole-punch cameras, foldable screens and in-display technologies are starting to bolster demand for mobile phones and motivate consumers to buy new models.