Android was born with seven buttons and has evolved to do everything with three. Now we are going in the opposite direction

I am inside Android so many years that I still remember when they had seven physical buttons. Over time, this number has been reduced, especially when Android 3 Honeycomb has introduced the Virtual buttons on the screen. Now it seems that we are walking in the opposite direction, towards the increase in the number of physical controllers. The return of the AI ​​button is an example.

My first Android was an HTC Magic, a mobile that lost the Qwery keyboard from the HTC Dream / G1 to leave all the pulsations in charge of the screen. All? No, the mobile had seven physical buttons: ignition, two volumes, search button, reverse, start and pulsation, on the Trackball that was illuminated in color). Android has evolved by killing the superfluous until it leaves those of ignition and volume. Enough until the button becomes an element of distinction.

If brands use the same components, an additional button is used to distinguish

There may be hundreds of Android mobiles at the moment, but at the time of the truth, the marks They can only use a reduced catalog of components. The processors that are the same regardless of the phone, the identical memory and storage modules, the camera sensors without too many choices and even the batteries come from a handful of suppliers. So how to excel between your competitors?

Artificial intelligence is the weapon with which manufacturers want to differentiate themselves in terms of software. Android is a sufficiently open system so that they can personalize it with a taste; So, the interfaces on the officer have AI adjustments and tools beyond Google Gemini. Which is also present.

Returning to the pimples and associating the theme with AI, the most logical thing is that the two found themselves in marriage. Because if we can invoke Gemini, holding the ignition button while trying, why not call the brand's brand with a button expressly for her? On paper seems useful, in practice, it is not so much. At least under my experience.

There are several brands that bet on adding additional buttons for AI. For example, Motorola has at Razr 60 Ultra, it's just that I have now; Nothing has one in nothing (3a) and (3a) pro; And one of the functions of the iPhone action button is to invoke AI. Now OnePlus has incorporated his. With a victim: the alert cursor.

At Dead King, King placed?

The sound fashion cursor was a OnePlus key from this first model, a OnePlus that I still miss. OnePlus killed him at OnePlus 10T and rekindled it in the OnePlus 11. Even Oppo threw the alert cursor, I loved the Oppo Find N5. Let's say goodbye.

The strong commitment to OnePlus AI (and surely OPPO, since the brands are sisters), called OnePlus AI, will make the next oneplus 13S lose the alert cursor in favor of an exclusive button to launch AI. This adds a button to the whole and strengthens the return trend to cover with physical controllers phones, as in the beginnings of Android.

I do not miss as many buttons as in my old MTC magic, Google knew how condense navigation and mechanics to use so that only those of ignition and volume are essential. Adding the AI ​​button adds to the camera, an element that gives Apple fashion. And only time will say if brands need more to distinguish, the same until trackball returns. If it is with colors for notifications, I say yes.

Cover image | Ricardo Aguilar (OnePlus 13)

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