Samsung To Unveil Galaxy S7 In January, Patents Own 3D Touch

Rumors and speculation about Samsung's next flagship have already started flowing in and some might think it's a tad too early for that. However, it seems that it isn't too early after all. Korean media are now reporting a rumor that puts the Samsung Galaxy S7 announcement not in late February or early March but in the middle of January. That is definitely way ahead of the usual schedule and breaks Samsung's rhythm, though it doesn't exactly say when the smartphones will actually launch.

Samsung normally announces its new Galaxy S Series flagship sometime in late February to coincide with the Mobile World Congress or MWC. The convergence of energies and media hype does make it an auspicious time for such an announcement. Of course, it also runs the risk of being drowned out by other announcements, but Samsung probably has less to worry about that happening. A January announcement is uncharacteristic and puts it closer to next year's CES, a more generic consumer electronics event.

It could, however, also put Samsung in the position of being a pioneer of sorts when it comes to adopting new technology. For example, There's talk that after a brief period of exclusivity, Samsung will once again offer a Snapdragon variant of its device, most likely the Snapdragon 820. There is even word that Samsung might be more deeply involved in the development of that chip. If so, it could be one of if not the first OEM to announce chip. The other variant will go with Samsung's own Exynos chip, the M1 Mongoose or 8890, which combines application processor (AP), modem, and sensors on a single die.

Then there's the matter of the force-sensitive display that the Galaxy S7 is believed to tout. Samsung won't exactly be the first here, even on Android, but it will surely be one of the biggest names to bear the feature that Apple pioneered. Where the "3D Touch" equivalent feature will come from is now up for debate. Earlier rumors indicate that Samsung will be licensing Synaptics' ClearForce technology but now it appears that Samsung also has a patent for such a feature. Of course, that is just a patent and doesn't mean it will be immediately implemented, but it could put the Korean manufacturer at odds with Synaptics.

In short, there is still enough mystery surrounding the Galaxy S7, despite the short incubation time it will have. Samsung's flagship is expected to still come in a pair, one premium and one "sub-premium", which probably refers to the flat and curved

SOURCE: etnews, galaxyclub.nl