Stunning Samsung Galaxy S30 design reveals the future of smartphones

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Samsung Galaxy S30 concepts design shows physical buttons could be dead in 2021

Samsung Galaxy S30 concept
(Image credit: AndroidLeo)

While we wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 to arrive, we’ve got a glimpse at an intriguing, if far-fetched, concept design of the Samsung Galaxy S30. 

Dubbed the Samsung Galaxy S30 Laser by its creator AndroidLeo, the concept envisions what the next-generation Galaxy S-series phone could look like. While a completely bezel-less display and quad rear-camera array seem obvious, the inclusion of touchscreen panels on the phone’s side is pretty out there. 

A bit like the MacBook Pro 2020’s Touch Bar, these touch-sensitive panels are envisioned as replacements for physical keys. The idea is to allow quick controls, such as phone, notifications, and music icons, to be placed on the edges of the Galaxy S30. This would eliminate the need for physical buttons that not only take up space but can degrade with use over time. 

It’s certainly an interesting and noble way to approach phone controls. But how practical such digital buttons would be in real-world use is questionable. Apple’s Touch Bar has divided opinions and other touch-sensitive controls we’ve encountered can be rather temperamental. 

AndroidLeo’s concept Galaxy S30 also touts a 6.8-inch 4K AMOLED display with an under-display fingerprint sensor as well as what appears to be an under-display 25MP selfie camera, something that would certainly shake-up phone design for 2021. 

Speaking of cameras, the rear-camera setup comprises a 108MP main camera (as seen in the Galaxy S20 Ultra) a 16MP telephoto lens, a 13MP ultrawide camera, and an 8MP UltraMacro sensor. That’s an array of cameras that should fulfill all manner of smartphone photography needs. 

The Samsung Galaxy S30 Laser video doesn't mention any internal specifications, but we’d speculate that it could be the first Samsung phone to come with the Exynos 1000. That’s a chip that is looking likely to be the fruits of a collaboration between Samsung and AMD, mixing the former's mobile chip prowess with the latter’s graphic tech. 

We’ve talked about how such a chip could be used to power the Nintendo Switch 2, But there’s a good chance that it would be used in a next-generation Galaxy phone, potentially bringing in enough graphical grunt to allow a phone to run games with more console-like graphics and fidelity. 

The Galaxy S20 phones are an impressive but arguably not groundbreaking upgrade over the Galaxy S10 phones. So for the Galaxy S30, there’s scope for Samsung to pull a really special phone out of the bag, potentially drawing inspiration from some of the ideas we see this concept design. 

And given the iPhone 12 is shaping up to be an impressive smartphone, with a 120Hz display and a camera suite derived from the iPad Pro 2020, Samsung will need to bring its A-game to its 2021 phones. 

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.