Are Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Phones About To Rip Off Apple's iPhone?

By Roemart Tamayo | Dec 16, 2015 06:00 AM EST

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Although not quite surprising, Samsung Galaxy phones are about to copy another Apple iPhone feature.

According to a report by Fool, starting with its newest-generation model, Samsung attempted a drastic redesign by releasing a unibody smartphone at the expense of prior functionality. Obviously, many said that the look of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge units look very similar to the iPhone.

And now, Samsung is about to copy Apple's pressure-sensitive feature in its incoming Samsung Galaxy S7. Although right now the Cupertino-based tech company is in the forefront of this particular technology, it won't be long until Samsung perfects its own version of the feature.

In a similar report by Time, the tech is expected to debut in March of next year. To refresh your memory, this pressure-sensitive feature allows users to access certain shortcuts within the phone's software by pressing down harder on its screen.

However, the Galaxy S7 is not expected to be very than its predecessor, aside from a few improvements and the rumored pressure sensitive screen.

The S7 is also being rumored to include a high-speed USB-C charging port that allows the phone to charge its battery faster, a retina scanner and a better camera than can take clearer and sharper photos, even in low-light situations.

And even though this move by Samsung is being seen as a direct rip off to Apple, this is not the first time that reports have suggested that the Korean tech giant's next smartphone will come with a pressure sensitive screen.

An in-depth report from The Wall Street Journal suggests that Samsung's new device will go on sale in the U.S. in mid-March, after its expected announcement on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona in late February.

Many may notice that Samsung is already talking about the debut of its next flagship phone even though the S6 was released just a couple of months ago.

The accelerated timeline is an apparent attempt to capitalize on buzz around the device during its announcement according to sources.

Apparently, the success of the new phone will be an early test for Samsung's new mobile chief, D. J. Koh, whom the company recently promoted with hopes that he could revive the fortunes of the world's biggest smartphone maker after back to back years of disappointing sales.

And although Samsung remains tight-lipped, the pressure sensitive feature is rumored to be incorporated from Synaptics' ClearPad touch controllers.

Furthermore, Synaptics is also looking to bring the force-touch function to more than smartphones, as its new ClearPad series controls are also available for PCs, notebooks and automotive applications.

So if the rumors were indeed true, investors of Synaptics will have a field day.

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