Samsung isn't afraid to experiment with different types of notches in its mid-range offerings — having tried it all, from a hole-punch in the Galaxy A8S, to a OnePlus 6T-esque sloping teardrop in the M20, to more traditional bezels in the A9. Two new devices were announced today, the Galaxy A30 and A50, featuring teardrop notches of the Infinity-U design Samsung revealed last fall. These phones are likely headed to the Indian market in the coming week.

Galaxy A50

The Galaxy A50 is the first phone to run on Samsung's Exynos 9610 chip, which was announced last year. The device seems photography-focused, with three rear cameras — a regular, a wide-angle, and a depth-of-field camera, somewhat of a rarity in a mid-range smartphone. Samsung has switched to an in-screen fingerprint sensor — there's no mention of ultrasonic here, so it's likely optical. Samsung's built both the A50 and A30 using something it calls Glasstic — and while we don't know for sure exactly what that is, we're guessing it's more plastic than glass.

SPECS

Galaxy A30

The presumably cheaper of the two devices, the A30 has many specs in common with its sibling, including the exact dimensions. The fingerprint sensor is rear-facing though, an advantage if you ask me, and the camera and internals are decidedly lower-end.

SPECS

While there's no formal word on pricing or availability yet, the phones will likely be launched in India on February 28th. With above-average camera specs, large batteries, a headphone jack, and expandable storage, these seem like the type of devices media-hungry teenagers would lap up. The Indian mid-range smartphone segment is one of the hottest in the world, with the likes of Xiaomi and Honor having snatched a lot of market share from Samsung. If priced right, these devices may be attractive value-propositions.

UPDATE: 2019/02/28 11:04am PST BY AATIF SUMAR

The phones launched in India today, along with a new budget offering: the Galaxy A10.

Galaxy A10

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[review-specs]

OS: Android 9.0 Pie

Display: 6.2-inch 7200p LCD (19.5:9, 1520 x 720, 277ppi, infinity-V teardrop notch)

CPU/GPU:  Exynos 7884 (we couldn't find detailed specs yet)

Memory: 2GB

Storage: 32GB

Rear Camera: Primary: 13MP f/1.9

Front Camera: 5MP

Battery: 3400mAh

Unlock mechanism: PIN/Code (no fingerprint or face unlock)

Ports: microUSB, dual nano-SIM slot, microSD card slot, 3.5mm audio jack

Dimensions: 155.6 x 75.6 x 7.94 mm

Colors: Black, Red, and Blue

[/review-specs]

Pricing:

Galaxy A50 — 4GB/64GB: ₹19,990 ($282), 6GB/128GB: ₹22,990 ($325)

Galaxy A30 — 4GB/64GB: ₹16,990 ($240)

The cheaper 3GB/32GB variant won't be sold in India.

Galaxy A10 — ₹8,490 ($120)

Availability:

Samsung will start selling the Galaxy A50 and A30 from March 2nd, and the Galaxy A10 from March 20th.

Source: Samsung