iPhone 11 might be set to ditch classic Apple feature
The iPhone 11 is to likely say goodbye to a longstanding feature of the iPhone range — and it could be a touchy subject for Apple fans.
3D Touch, a pressure-sensitive touch feature, is rumoured to be missing from the 2019 range of iPhones, according to MacRumors.
If so, it would mean that the feature would finally be dropped from the lineup after its introduction with the iPhone 6s back in September 2015.
The omission wouldn’t be a great surprise to us since last year’s iPhone XR has already ditched 3D Touch in favour of the new Haptic Touch.
Related: Best Phones
What is 3D Touch?
3D Touch is a hardware feature that registers the pressure of your touch on the screen by measuring how deeply users press the display. Its introduction allowed for more creativity in artistic apps, and more varied input for mobile games. Apple pinpoints three specific uses:
- Quick Actions — touch sensitivity speeds up interactivity, rather than relying on long presses.
- Peek and Pop — with a quick touch you can bring up a preview of app content, without opening the app.
- Pressure Sensitivity — for creative apps such as drawing, pressure sensitivity can be used to change the line thickness of style of brush.
Image Credit: Apple
This feature was present on all Apple handsets from the iPhone 6s to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. It’s also present on Apple Watches and the latest MacBooks (known as Force Touch), so long-time Apple fans may struggle to adapt to its loss. But fear not, there’s a replacement coming…
Related: Best iPhones
What is Haptic Touch?
Haptic Touch first appeared on the iPhone XR. It’s a software solution which requires longer touches than 3D Touch, and provides haptic feedback (such as vibrations) for successfully completed actions. But it’s more limited than 3D Touch, as there are shortcuts or interface actions which already require a long press — so you can’t use the handy ‘Peek and Pop’ feature for instance.
So if you’re a big fan of the 3D Touch feature (and due to this decision we only presume there aren’t very many of you), then your best bet is to stick to the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max, as it doesn’t look likely to return to future iPhones.
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.
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.
