Samsung might be deploying pressure sensitive screens on its next-gen Galaxy S7 smartphone, according to a post published on China’s Weibo. The report claims that Samsung is planning to use Synaptics’ new ClearForce technology, which essentially functions in the same way as Apple’s 3D touch technology initially featured on the Apple Watch. The Korean manufacturer plans to release the smartphone in early 2016.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is expected to get up to 128GB of internal storage and a larger display along with the above mentioned 3D touch capabilities, which is believed to mimic the 3D Touch functionality found on the latest iPhones.
3D Touch technology essentially allows the screen to differentiate between hard presses and light taps. The pressure sensitive screen becomes lists different options depending on the amount of force the user puts on the screen. Other rumored specs include Octa-core Snapdragon 820 processor 3.0+ GHz or Exynos 16-core big.LITTLE, 4K resolution display along with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM.
Synaptics announced the development of its 3D Touch technology earlier this month. In a press release, the company stated that it has already started working with manufacturers who’ll be shipping smartphones enabled with this functionality in early 2016. Apparently it’ll be around the same time Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy S7. While other sources have also suggested that the Korean giant will be making an announcement about the Galaxy S7 sometime in December 2015, while the device is set to be launched in January 2016.
Synaptics says its ClearForce technology will allow users to perform functions like variable speed scrolling, image panning and zooming, unlock the device, right click mouse behavior for context menus, line thickness while drawing, image editing, along with upper case and symbol selection.
This exciting next step in the human interface for smartphones will soon become the norm and highlights Synaptics’ leadership in force. “Early adopters of ClearForce include industry leading OEMs and LCMs seeking advanced technology that drives an enhanced and more productive user experience,” said Synaptics’ Senior VP of Smart Display Division during the announcement.
