A few short weeks ago, we got to see Apple's new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. While the outside was the usual fare, it did sport a new 3D Touch interface designed specifically for iOS 9. Now Apple's biggest competitor on the smartphone front, Samsung, might have something very similar that it's cooking up for the Galaxy S7. A new patent has been found by Samsung fanboy site Galaxy Club, in which a version of 3D Touch is being developed.

While Samsung is not the first to take this technology mainstream, Korean media is reporting that the new Galaxy S7 could be unveiled as early as February, according to Slashgear. Fueling this rumour is the fact that Samsung is aiming to avoid the swarm of tech news and releases that accompany Mobile World Congress in March. Personally we suspect, Samsung has very little to worry about in that regard, as their Galaxy S6 announcement this year dwarfed the likes of HTC and other competitors.

That said, if the patent is only being discovered now, the timeline for Samsung to integrate it into a new flagship device is rather tight. Then again, Samsung has never been one to shy away from quick refresh cycles. Along with a 3D Touch display, the new Galaxy S7 is rumoured to feature a choice of Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or Samsung-owned Exynos 8890 (M1) chipset internally, depending on which region it is found.  

While it may be a bit too early to be talking about a Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone, the notion that it will feature 3D Touch, does not seem that far off, considering the newer Galaxy Note phablets feature a similar S Pen-enabled interface.