Samsung could be about to introduce the first Galaxy phone with a pressure-sensitive display, if a new report is anything to go by.
The report from The Investor cites ‘industry sources’ as claiming the upcoming Galaxy S8 will come with a force touch screen.
An ‘official of a Samsung supplier’ told The Insider: “Samsung is mulling to adopt the force touch technology partially from the S8 but the full adoption will come in one or two years.
Related: Galaxy S8 – Everything we know
“It is a matter of time before other major Android smartphone makers deploy the technology that will help enhance user interface.”
Force touch allows users to trigger different on-screen actions based on how hard they press the display, such as opening app shortcuts, which Google introduced with Android 7.1 Nougat.
App shortcuts lets users press and hold on compatible app icons from the home screen to bring up a list of in-app tasks without actually opening the app.
Although the feature simply requires a long-press, rather than a harder press, it is one example of how Android features could be made to work with force touch technology.
The Galaxy S7
Apple’s version of the tech is known as 3D Touch, and features on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7, allowing users to open context-sensitive menus, switch apps, preview photo effects, and more.
The new report points out that Samsung Display, the screen manufacturing unit of Samsung, already supplies force touch displays to Huawei, so it’s likely Sammy will adopt the tech soon.
It also quotes a ‘senior executive’ at the South Korean firm as saying the technology would be used on Samsung handsets “in the near future”.
None of the information from the report has been verified as yet, so, as always, take the news with a pinch of salt.
The Galaxy S8 is expected to debut in February next year at MWC 2017, with a whole new design that could see Samsung introduce an almost bezel-less display.
Some recent reports have suggested the launch of the S8 could be delayed, however, while Samsung tries to identify the cause of the recent Note 7 overheating issues.
WATCH: Galaxy S8: Everything We Know So Far
Let us know what you make of the report in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
