Apple recently introduced the iPhone 16 series, which offers what could be safe to say minimal upgrades over its predecessors. However, the entire iPhone 16 lineup now comes with a dedicated hardware camera button, which Apple refers to as "Camera Control."
It seems like Android smartphone manufacturers don"t want to miss out on the trend of the dedicated camera shutter button. Because as many as two Android OEMs have already confirmed that they are working on a camera button for their smartphones.
Nubia"s president Ni Fei announced on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that the company"s upcoming Nubia Z70 will feature a "more realistic" camera button. Fei further confirmed that the button will be a two-stage key, allowing you to focus when half-pressed, and capture with full press.
Notably, Nubia isn"t the only Android smartphone maker working on a camera button for its smartphone. Recently, it was reported that OPPO will also join the bandwagon. The OPPO"s Find X8 series is expected to bring an iPhone 16-like camera shutter button, which OPPO calls the "Quick Button" designed to "freeze the action."
However, it is unclear if OPPO will add a physical button or if it will have gesture support similar to the iPhone 16"s Camera Control button. For context, Apple"s Camera Control button is a two-stage button, that also supports swipe gestures to zoom in or out, and switch between different modes.
While camera shutter buttons are not new in the Android smartphone world, Sony still offers a dedicated camera shutter button on its recent Xperia 1 VI and previous models, but they are a fresh addition to the iPhone lineup.
Apple"s introduction of the camera shutter button has reignited interest, and as is often the case, Android OEMs are following suit by introducing similar on their phones.