Samsung to Implement 3D Touch-style Display for Upcoming Galaxy S8

Samsung, maker of the popular Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones, is apparently “mulling” the idea of employing a 3D Touch-style, pressure sensitive display on its upcoming Galaxy S8 flagship. The news comes to us courtesy of a credible new report published in Korea’s The Investor publication.

“Samsung is mulling to adopt the force touch technology partially from the S8 but the full adoption will come in one or two years,” a Samsung official with deep ties to the company’s supply chain told The Investor, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“It is a matter of time before other major Android smartphone makers deploy the technology that will help enhance user interface.”

What the source is implying when they say “partially for the S8,” or “full adoption” raises a number of questions about Samsung’s ultimate pressure-sensitive display plans. What’s perhaps a bit clearer, however, is that, amidst an ever-evolving tech-landscape, Samsung appears to be running a bit dry on ideas in the innovation department. In the South Korean tech-giant’s quest to out innovate its rivals, chiefly Apple, it appears that the company has instead decided to copy yet another one of Silicon Valley’s intuitive user interface features.

Yet even Apple’s 3D Touch functionality, for its part, still has a ways to go before it increases in usefulness. Apple needs to work more to fine-tune the 3D Touch software interface, which, as an integral component of how the feature works, can then be implemented deeper across the iOS and 3rd party app ecosystem. As AndroidCentral notes, the software component behind Apple’s 3D Touch interface would be the biggest obstacle for Samsung to overcome in its transition to pressure sensitive displays.

“The broader challenge is how to implement this — and justify the extra thickness demanded by a pressure-sensitive display — in a way that people actually care about,” said AndroidCentral’s Alex Dobie, noting in particular the difficulty Apple has had courting 3rd party app developers to create apps that take advantage of 3D Touch.

And so the question remains: is a pressure sensitive display, at this stage in the game, even a relevant, forward-thinking feature? Sure, Samsung might be quick to defend the technology, claiming that it’s “the future” and how Google has already been at work developing its own pressure sensitive UX. But whether that’s what the customer truly wants, or whether Samsung is “doing it” simply to guarantee itself the bragging rights, will only become clearer in time.

No word yet on when Samsung’s Galaxy S8 will be revealed, but historically speaking, we can expect a formal unveiling sometime during the 2nd quarter of 2017.

Do you think a Samsung Galaxy S8 with a pressure sensitive display would be considered innovation or imitation?
Let us know in the comments!

Featured Photo TechRadar

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]