The question of whether Android phones copy Apple iPhones is as old as the brands themselves. Much has been said about the topic (and more than one attempt has been made), but in the end it doesn’t really matter: it’s up to consumers to decide whether they want a copy or an original mobile phone. With the new iPhone 16, another controversy is looming that will also spark much discussion: whether its new camera button is worth copying.
While it is true that the presentation of the iPhone 16 was somewhat overshadowed by that of Huawei’s triple folding, it is also true that Apple remains industry leaderat least in terms of total sales. So any change, no matter how small, is analyzed from all angles and considered by its competitors. This year, there are fewer novelties than usual, with very consistent mobile phones and fewer reasons to upgrade if we have a relatively new iPhone.
Perhaps that’s why one of the few new features brought by the iPhone 16 has been so talked about: the camera button; although it would be more appropriate to call it by its official name, Camera Control. That’s because it’s not a simple button that takes a photo when you press it; It is a capacitive control with touch functionswhich allows access to advanced features such as zoom. It has the potential to be a game-changer in mobile photogr aphy, especially since it won’t be exclusive to Apple apps.
As soon as we saw it, at EL ESPAÑOL we knew that this camera order was going to be copied by other brands; and we didn’t have to wait long for confirmation. Nubia is the leading manufacturer that he “lost his shame” and announced a cell phone with a camera button; If it seems like they were too quick, it’s because this new product has already been rumored for months, which has given brands time to change the design of their next products.
Nubia’s president himself, Ni Fei, was tasked with confirming that the company’s next model will have a “more realistic camera button”in addition to other new features such as “a more perfect screen” and “a more versatile AI”. In response to a user on the social network Weibo, Ni Fei confirmed that the new button can be pressed halfway, which will allow the photo to be taken in two phases: first you focus, then you capture by pressing it fully.
Another brand that could add a camera button to its upcoming phones is OPPO; a recent leak claims that the upcoming OPPO Find X8 will have a “quick button” This would allow to “freeze the action”. In this way, OPPO would give more importance to photography in a mobile phone that should have up to a telephoto lens with 10x zoom.
The big question is whether brands will copy the iPhone 16’s camera control behavior. Nubia’s button looks different, judging by the president’s words, and OPPO’s could also offer a different function. We have no doubt that there will be brands that dare to copy touch functions with a capacitive button, just as there have been brands that copied the iPhone’s dynamic island on Android.
The idea of a dedicated camera button is obviously not new; as is often the case with Apple, it is an existing concept that has been modified as the apple has flourished. There were already Android phones with camera buttons, and in a certain sense, it is Apple that is copying them and not the other way around; but what no one doubts is that now it will come back into fashion.