A punch-hole display is a screen with a camera opening inside the active display area. The camera sits behind that opening to receive light. Its position—not a particular screen technology or camera specification—is what defines the term.
What makes a display a punch-hole display?
Samsung Display defines a hole display as a panel with a hole located within its active area. A hole in the bezel or other non-display space does not qualify. The opening commonly accommodates a light-sensing component, such as a phone’s front-facing camera. Samsung Display’s explanation of hole-display terminology emphasizes that not every panel opening is a hole display: its location matters.
The term describes the opening’s position and form. It does not specify a universal hole size, location, panel construction, or camera performance.
How it differs from a notch and an under-display camera
| Design | Camera placement and screen treatment | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Punch-hole display | The camera looks through an opening inside the active display area. | The panel has an open hole within the active area. |
| Notch | A cutout sits at the boundary of the active display and non-display area. | Samsung Display excludes this boundary cutout from its definition of a hole display. |
| Under-panel camera (UPC/UDC) | The camera sits beneath the panel, which covers it. | Samsung describes its approach as increasing light transmission through the display rather than leaving an open camera hole. Samsung Display’s under-panel camera description |
These are differences in design, not a universal ranking. The available descriptions do not establish that one approach always produces better photos, costs less, or lasts longer.
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Why phones use an opening in the screen
A camera needs light to reach its sensor. In a punch-hole design, the opening provides that path while allowing the display to extend around the camera. This is why the cutout appears within the screen rather than in the bezel.
The design also creates manufacturing and image-quality challenges. Samsung Display describes the need for pixel patterning and hole-processing techniques, protection around the opening for fine wiring and light-emitting materials, and control of image quality near the hole. Samsung Display’s overview of hole-display processing discusses these considerations.
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What the cutout means for apps
An app’s interface may need to account for the camera cutout so important controls or content do not sit beneath it. Samsung’s developer guidance recommends optimizing interface elements to avoid the device’s camera cutout. Samsung’s punch-hole design guidance for developers addresses this layout consideration; it does not establish that every app or operating system handles cutouts the same way.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Examples of phones with punch-hole displays
Samsung’s official materials identify the Galaxy A8s as a device using punch-hole technology, and discuss hole displays on the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ models. Samsung Display’s announcement also reports a specific measurement for panels in the Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G and Galaxy Z Fold2 5G: deviations in color, brightness, and saturation were sampled at 12 points around the hole, with a result of two or less Delta E. That is a manufacturer-reported result for those named devices and test context, not a general performance figure for punch-hole screens.
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