Cut-out pinhole designs from Samsung and Lenovo leak out online

Huawei pinhole

First came the notch, and we all put up with a black shape at the top of our phone screens in return for some extra room on the display. Next, apparently, is the cut-out pinhole variation on the notch – a single hole for the front-facing camera, surrounded by screen.

We already know that these kind of phone designs are on the way (see the Huawei teaser image above), and we've even got a name in some cases: Samsung is describing the look as an Infinity-O display. However, we haven't seen much in the way of actual hardware – until this weekend that is, as a flurry of leaked images hit the web in quick succession.

Starting with Samsung, we don't have a picture of an actual device, but we do have screenshots logged with US regulators, showing a space in the top left corner. This is probably the design that will appear on the Samsung Galaxy A8s.

Smile, you're on camera

Then there's Lenovo – a grainy video of what is claimed to be the Lenovo Z5s just hit the web, showing a pinhole cut-out in the center up at the top of the screen. It gives you a good idea of what this kind of design is going to be like to use.

And earlier this week we saw what is supposedly being called the Huawei Nova 4 revealed in a live online broadcast from China – during birthday celebrations for singer Jackson Yee (look him up). Again you can see the phone display and its cut-out clearly on show, which suggests the phone is about to be launched, perhaps as early as next week.

The question now is which company will get a handset out of the door first. Both Samsung and Huawei have been keen to get that "first" badge of honor in the past (quad-lens camera, anyone?), so they have to be the favorites right now.

TOPICS
David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

Latest in Phones
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 Beta 3 has arrived – here are the 4 features I think will be the most useful
Apple iPhone 16e REVIEW
Some iPhone 16e owners are reporting Bluetooth audio issues that could be an iOS problem
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could resurrect an intriguing camera feature
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
The latest iPhone 17 Pro Max leak may have given us another look at its upcoming redesign
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be in line for a Galaxy S25 Ultra-level camera upgrade
Latest in News
Brad Pitt looks over his right shoulder with 'F1' written behind him
Apple Original Films will take you behind-the-scenes of a racing cockpit in this new thrilling F1 movie trailer
AI writer
Coding AI tells developer to write it himself
Reacher looking down at another character from the Prime Video TV series Reacher
Reacher season 3 becomes Prime Video’s biggest returning show thanks to Hollywood’s biggest heavyweight
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Google Messages update
Google Messages could soon follow WhatsApp with an upgrade that makes it much easier to join group chats