Samsung may have finally worked out how to rip off 3D Touch.
A new report claims its upcoming Galaxy Note 8 will be the first to offer the feature, which will recognize presses as well as touches — just like the iPhone.
Samsung will have been itching to deliver its own 3D Touch clone since Apple unveiled the feature with the iPhone 6s. Manufacturing pressure-sensitive displays isn’t easy, which is likely why it has taken the South Korean company so long, but the Galaxy S8 was a sign it was getting there.
Like the iPhone, the Galaxy S8 recognizes hard presses, but they’re only used to activate the home button that lies beneath the display. You cannot use presses anywhere else on the screen to access things like home screen shortcuts or content previews like you can on the iPhone.
That’s likely to change later this month with the Galaxy Note 8. A report from The Investor claims Samsung will introduce a “force touch” display “that allows the phone to read the amount of pressure applied to the screen.”
I’m a huge fan of 3D Touch. If you make an effort to use it regularly, you end up wondering how you ever lived without it. When I used the Galaxy S8 for a few months earlier this year, I struggled to get used to no longer having it.
It might seem like a gimmick, but it feels like a must-have feature once you get used to using it. I can certainly see why Samsung would want to bring it to its flagship Galaxy devices.
The Galaxy Note 8 will get its official unveiling at an event in New York on August 23. It will be the iPhone 8’s main competitor for late 2017, so it will be interesting to see what Samsung brings to the table. We’re expecting a device much like the Galaxy S8, only bigger.
