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Android phones will soon have this iPhone-first feature
Android phone makers generally keep an eye on new features that Apple brings to the market and this year it could happen with the camera control button.
Apple recently unveiled its next-generation flagship smartphone series, the iPhone 16, at its latest hardware launch event, ‘It’s Glowtime’. One of the most exciting new features in the newly launched smartphones is a dedicated touch-sensitive button called ‘Camera Control.’ This feature allows users to quickly launch the camera and modify various settings ahead of taking a photo.
Well, ahead of the iPhone 16 lineup that is expected to go on sale, Chinese smartphone maker Realme has teased a similar button on its upcoming smartphone. Realme’s Vice President and CMO, Xu Qi Chase, teased the same by sharing a video on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform.
In the video posted on the platform, Chase shows off a new dedicated camera on an unannounced handset. The executive shows how smartphone users will be able to click on the button to launch the camera instantly. Once the camera is loaded, the button uses the same technology as Apple’s Camera Control key for various controls, including zooming in and out. If a user presses the camera control button again, they will be able to capture an image.
While the Camera Control button clone is confirmed to arrive on an upcoming smartphone, Chase implies that it won’t be the company’s awaited flagship—the Realme GT7 Pro.
Vice president of Realme Xu Qi Chase also shared the details on X. He said, “For those who followed our 828 Fan Fest, you probably remember we showcased our own Solid-State Button on the tech show, similar to the Capture button of the iPhone 16, which will also be featured in an upcoming model. Great minds think alike! What else from the Apple ‘Glowtime’ event got you talking? #AppleEvent.”
Camera buttons on a phone are not technically new and Apple doesn’t get the credit for bringing it. In fact, brands like Sony has even Nokia had offered it on their Xperia and Lumia phones back in the days. What Apple is offering a overhauled setup that has its imprints written over it.
Having said that, this won’t be the first time when a Chinese smartphone maker decides to adopt a feature that Apple has talked about. Previously, Realme introduced its version of the feature, called Mini Capsule, which is nothing but the copy of the Dynamic Island that Apple launched with the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022. Realme got this feature on its C55 budget phone in March 2023.
