Galaxy S10 was shown off by Samsung at its Unpacked hardware event last week and comes in three models.
Such a decision not only diverges from the firm’s recent tradition, but it also makes the flagship line more accessible thanks to the addition of a cheaper version of the hardware.
Galaxy S10 comes in standard, e, and “+” models that each have their own nuances.
The Galaxy S10e is the cheapest version of the flagship that forgoes some premium features in order to achieve its more appealing cost.
S10e only comes with a dual-camera system on its rear and its display does not have a Samsung signature curved design.
Meanwhile, the standard S10 and S10+ come with more premium displays and have three camera lenses.
However, all models of the South Korean handset come with all-screen designs that have minimal bezels.
But, each has a cutout within their respective screens for their front-facing camera systems.
Such a design choice has been referred to as a hole punch-style notch and is also present on competing handsets such as the Honor View 20 and Huawei Nova 4.
The Galaxy S10’s adoption of the aesthetic will surely be controversial amongst Android fans; some have argued a hole punch-style notch is a necessary bridge between a traditional cutout and a tantalising all-screen flagship while others have insisted the design is distracting and inherently a compromise.
But it appears Samsung knows the Galaxy S10’s front-facing camera cutout will not be for everyone and has provided owners of the handset an option to hide it using software.
SamMobile was the first to note the existence of the feature that introduces a black bar over the top of the Galaxy S10’s panel.
This allows the user to disguise the cutout for the flagship if they desire.
It is worth noting the feature does appear to substantially reduce the amount of screen real estate offered by the phone.
SamMobile showed an image of the setting turned on and off to demonstrate the differences between the two modes.
The function can be enabled by heading to the S10’s settings menu and heading to the display section.
From there, press full screen apps > hide front camera.
Galaxy S10 will release on March 8 but is currently available to pre-order.