Samsung is set to join the 3D Touch race, as the Galaxy Note 8 is gearing up for a pressure-sensitive screen to be added to its arsenal. Like rival Apple, Samsung will look to capitalize on this technology.
From the time Apple announced its pressure-sensitive screen for the iPhone 6S, Samsung has been tinkering with the same idea and has reportedly incorporated the technology in the Galaxy Note 8.
According to reports, Samsung has created an advanced pressure-sensing technology for OLED displays. Samsung Display has reportedly showcased it to a number of partner companies at the MWC 2017. The sources further suggest that Samsung would also use the technology in the upcoming Galaxy S8.
"Samsung's new flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 is expected to partly use the 3-D Touch technology for its "virtual home button" on the bottom of the display screen that allows users to open up menus and navigate the phone, while the fingerprint-scanning home button will be relocated to the back," noted the publication.
The site's sources also shared that post "the partial adoption" of the technology, Samsung's next-gen flagships such as the rumored Galaxy Note 8 may also deploy the pressure-sensitive touch technology, not just on the home button but the entire display.
How Will The Technology Be Implemented?
The term "limited" is being used for this technology because the pressure sensors will only be installed in the navigation strip, at the bottom end of the phone.
The new virtual home button will also use this technology, and the user will be able to access different types of menus through long or short presses of the screen. It is believed that the full use of this technology will be exercised in the impending Galaxy Note 8.
Samsung Display has manufactured an OLED screen that supported 3D Touch in the past, which has been deployed in some smartphones such as the Huawei 9. However, the technology is yet to be adopted by Samsung Electronics in its devices, possibly because of lack of technical superiority.
However, it is believed that the latest OLED panels which Samsung Display is making for the next-gen iPhone offer a much better sensitivity, as well as wider levels for sensing pressure when compared to the display used by Huawei P9.
It will be interesting to see how Samsung incorporates the 3D Touch-like technology in the near term in the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note 8.
