While the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus devices launched in September, a new feature called 3D Touch was introduced — which offers new functionalities such as “Peek and Pop” and “Quick Actions” by sensing how much pressure is applied to the display. Last month, a leak surfaced about how Samsung will be adding a pressure sensitive display to the Galaxy S7 thus it will have features that are similar to “Quick Actions” and “Peek and Pop.” But that is not the only feature that the upcoming Galaxy S7 will have in common with the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.
Another feature powered by the Apple AAPL -1.04% 3D Touch display in the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S is Live Photos. When a Live Photo is taken, a still is captured along with 1.5 seconds of video before and after it is taken. The still photo can be brought to life via pressing down anywhere on the phone. Live Photos can be set as Lock screen wallpapers and it can be viewed on other Apple devices as well. Currently there are rumors that Samsung’s upcoming flagship device will have a feature that is similar to Live Photos, according to sources with Android Geeks. Android Geeks’ source said that the feature is still under development. If it is not ready by the time the Galaxy S7 launches, it may be rolled out as part of a software update later this year.
What will Samsung call its version of Live Photos? There is speculation that it will be called Timeless Photos or Vivid Photos. But Samsung’s version of Live Photos will not capture sound with the photos, unlike Apple’s version. By ditching audio from Samsung’s version of Live Photos, it will be easy to share them on Facebook FB +1.05% as animated GIFs. To support the sharing of Live Photos, it required a lot of extra work by Facebook’s engineers. Facebook added support for animated GIFs back in June 2015.
How does 3D Touch work? The new iPhones have bendable glass created by Corning GLW +0.00% and there are 96 sensors embedded in the LCD’s backlight that registers each flex as a function of distance, according to AppleInsider. And Apple’s Tactic Engine tracks small vibrations caused by the user pressing down on the display.
A few years ago, Samsung introduced a feature in the Galaxy S4 that is similar to Live Photos called Sound & Shot. However, that feature simply enables users to record audio that plays in the background of still photos.
More importantly, the Galaxy S7 line of smartphones are expected to be revealed at an event called Unpacked on February 21st, right before the start of Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Some of the greatly anticipated features expected in the Galaxy S7 contain an upgraded processor, a microSD slot, Type-C USB, 4GB RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera with a BRITECELL sensor, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, various screen size options and a waterproof design.
