It seems like it will be much easier for smartphone makers to implement pressure-sensitive displays once Android N is out. Turns out, the upcoming Android update will have native support for such displays, which will definitely encourage more manufacturers to implement the technology on their devices.
In the latest beta build of Android N, a new feature dubbed launcher shortcuts was detailed. Google explained that this means “apps can define shortcuts which users can expose in the launcher to help them perform actions quicker.” To put things into perspective, Phandroid has teamed up with the developer of Nova Launcher to show this feature in action:
This move will likely help with the adoption of pressure-sensitive displays on Android smartphones. This might also be an indication that this year’s Nexus devices will be packed with pressure-sensitive displays. Looking back, Android Marshmallow added native support for fingerprint sensors, and the Nexus 6P and 5X were the first two Nexus smartphones with said sensor. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that 2016’s lineup of Nexus devices will go down the same path; perhaps this feature will make it onto the Huawei 7P?
3D Touch on iPhone 6s
It’s still too early to tell if more device makers will take advantage of pressure-sensitive displays. After all, only select few Android smartphones currently have the feature, such as the Huawei P9 Plus. Then again, back in October last year, Synaptics mentioned that a few “industry leading brands” were looking to implement this technology on their devices.
