The upcoming Samsung Galaxy A80 brings excellent news to smartphone addicts everywhere. Gone are the frustrations caused by that pesky notch at the top of your display, gone the sad mornings crying in your coffee because you have to scroll (again!) an extra half an inch when catching up on social media. If you want to know about the history of the terrible notch, and when Samsung is going to get rid of it, read this news article:

What is a notch?

A notch or a display cutout is the teeny tiny area, often found at the top of your screen, used by smartphone manufacturers to host the front camera and, in some cases, additional sensors, like those used for facial recognition. Over the last couple of years, as the need for large screens on our mobile phones increased proportionally to our narcissism as a species, most manufacturers have been trying to make the notch and the bezels as small as possible to give users the biggest screen possible.

Is the notch important?

Since I do not own a smartphone with a notch, I checked online opinions and interviewed some of my friends on the frustrations and hardships of having a notch on the smartphone's display. The most valid concern is that some apps and games might display relevant information in that area of the screen. Therefore, when having a smartphone with a notch, some apps may have problems. Another concern is that, even though the notch aims to integrate with the bezels, the way it interferes with an otherwise flawlessly rectangular screen, does not look good. However, some smartphones allow you to disable the notch, like those made by Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and others. Also, you can always choose a model with wider bezels to avoid this issue. Therefore, the importance of the notch becomes an issue of personal preference.

So when did the notch become relevant?

Trend-setters as always, Apple were the ones to make the notch popular, with the release of the iPhone X, even though two other smartphones announced before it - the Essential Phone and Sharp Aquos S2 - had a display notch. Before Apple's product launch, the notch was a minor trend in the smartphone world. The notch became a distinguishable feature of the iPhone X and therefore a symbol of the smartphone industry.

The Galaxy A80: is Samsung finally killing the notch?

The Samsung Galaxy A80 is going to be released starting May 2019. This smartphone looks cool even to a basic smartphone user like me. The notch is gone (hopefully together with all the drama and opinions it generated) and users can enjoy the New Infinity Display. Where did the front camera go if there is no notch? Well, this is where things get interesting: A motorized triple lens rotating camera slides out of your smartphone, flipping around when toggled into selfie mode. With its 48-megapixel Main Camera, 8-megapixel Ultrawide Camera and 3D Depth Camera, the camera array allows the same quality for images and recordings, whether they are happening behind or in front of your screen.

The idea of a stealthy camera sliding out of your smartphone is not entirely original, just like notch wasn't, when Apple borrowed it. The Vivo Apex concept smartphone and the subsequently produced Vivo Nex have a mechanical pop-up front camera, and so does the Oppo Find X. However, Samsung made the Galaxy A80's camera array spin, making it impossible for me not to compare it with the 2018 Bentley Continental GT's rotating dashboard display.

Sure, both save space, but that is not the main reason you want one. If we are honest, it is because cause they look so incredibly awesome.

What do you like about the Samsung Galaxy A80?

We like the new approach used by Samsung for its upcoming Galaxy A80. Before closing this news article, tell us: Do you find the camera more appealing or the notch-less screen? Do you think that this smartphone is the first step to the end of the terrible notch? Comment below, and let's discuss.