Samsung revolutionized its range of mid-range phones thanks to the introduction of the Galaxy A and M series. The quality of specs and price range of these devices has a lot to do with their number. While the Galaxy A10 debuted with basic specifications for the low-end segment, the Galaxy A80 was an appealing device playing the high-end segment thanks to its bezel-free display. One of the biggest appeals of this handset, its bezel-less display. This is achieved by the main camera that could rise and flip around when you wanted to take a selfie. This kind of concept kept the punch-hole and waterdrop notches away. While the device was interesting, it didn’t get a sequel last year as the device rumored to be the A81 turned to be the Note10 Lite. Now, new rumors suggest that Samsung may have a Galaxy A82 in development.
Apparently, Samsung is working on a Galaxy A82 model which an SM-A826B model number. Unfortunately, there is no confirmation about the device’s existence neither if it is coming with a flip-up camera like the A80. In fact, companies have been exiting this kind of design since the last year, adopting punch-holes. So far, the only company that still uses a fancy camera mechanism to keep the display free is Asus with its ZenFone series. Redmi also launched the Redmi K30 Pro with a pop-up camera, but we don’t think this design language will make a comeback this year within Redmi K40 Pro. The brand is likely to adopt the punch-hole solution that it has been using on most of its devices lately.
The flipping / pop-up cameras have been losing relevance in light of the punch-hole phenomenon
We don’t see big reasons for this technology to make a big comeback in 2021 or in the future. Now, the biggest hope for bezel-free and cutout-free displays rests on the under-displays camera. For now, only ZTE has a commercially available phone with this kind of technology. This solution has some drawbacks in terms of quality yet and several challenges in manufacture. For that reason, companies are working to address all remaining issues to iron out the in-display camera. In the end, it’s just a matter of time until these cameras become a standard in the market.
The good side of the Galaxy A80 and ZenFone 6 / 7 flipping camera, is that it has an advanced camera setup that can also be used for selfies. Moreover, it’s good to see companies trying different things rather than sticking with common standards. In the end, we still have to wait for more details about the rumored Galaxy A82. So far, we only know that it will be a 5G phone. Which is hardly a surprise.
