Apple may not yet have a foldable iPhone, but instead, has what Android needs

While we're waiting for Apple to finally get its courage up and release a foldable iPhone (it's 2025 in several weeks, for crying out loud!), the Cupertino giant did something extraordinary. Apple blessed Android with just what Android needed. A new physical button, no less.

Of course, I'm talking about the Camera Control button that debuted on the iPhone 16 series.

I don't know how closely you follow Apple of all brands, but their phones come with one extra button this year. It's called (as mentioned above) Camera Control, and as the name suggests, it's used to control the camera and potentially elevate your photography experience.

This, in my opinion, is exactly what Android phones left and right needed – a bold innovation. Sure, it's Android phones from the Far East that come chock-full of goodies these days, be it hyper-fast charging speeds, fascinating and potent battery technologies, or hands-down amazing periscope lenses on their cameras.

Now, they have one more thing on their hands to perfect and customize. It's Apple's thing.

And I'm not talking about some eventual future, I'm talking about the present.



It's been a month since the iPhone 16 series is out with its Camera Control button and already we've got Android's answer in the likes of the just-released Oppo Find X8 lineup. It consists of the "vanilla" Find X8 and the maxed-out Find X8 Pro.

The latter gets something called the "Quick Button". Much like the iPhone 16's Camera Control button, it does several things – it's a formidable photo shutter button that can also start the camera (via a double press), but there's more.

It's not just a click-y button; it offers a touch capacitive area, which means that you can zoom in and out by sliding your finger on it. Very convenient.

There's a lot of work to be done, though.

Things are far from perfect

Rarely the first iteration of a gadget, or a gadget's new functionality, is ultra-successful.

The Camera Control, or Oppo's Quick Button, certainly need some perfection.

I'm a great fan of this particular button, but I can't help but agree with my colleague Preslav who points out:



You need to move your hand around to the front or back, but all the technology designed to make the button feel satisfying becomes pointless because its position just doesn’t feel comfortable or intuitive.

That's why I'm sure further adjustments to the new button will be made.

And it's not just Apple and Oppo that are doing it.

Realme is another player that allegedly is adopting the dedicated shutter button for a future model of their.



OnePlus is next, I think. The company is joined at the hip with Oppo and their phones are often extremely similar to each other in terms of hardware specs, so don't be surprised if OnePlus also releases a handset with this useful button. Also, Huawei, and/or Honor!

If Samsung and Google don't do it, they'll be a minority. So what choice do they have!?

The race has begun

The idea of a dedicated shutter/camera physical button may be scrapped some day. However, that day is not today and certainly not tomorrow.

For now, I think that phones up and down will adopt it and we'll see more of it



It's funny how Apple, of all brands, managed to popularize it. Many people (yours truly including) criticize Apple for not adopting its natural leading role (they've got more money and talent than they know what to do with) but instead, they wait for others to come up with ideas.

It's almost 2025 and Apple doesn't have a foldable yet – neither a book style nor a clamshell. Meanwhile, the competition is making jaw-dropping tri-folds (yes, I'm talking about the Huawei Mate XT).

Apple also is shockingly behind in the AI race, with its Apple Intelligence that was promised for 2024, but will allegedly bloom as early as 2025.

However, this time around, Apple outdid Android. I'm sure Android phones (just because of how diverse they are) will, in the end, come up with a better dedicated shutter button than the iPhone, but credit is due. This time, it's Apple.

Wait, what? What's that?

Android phones had dedicated camera buttons earlier than Apple?

Yeah, you're probably referring to a few Sony Xperia models that had it, too.

You're factually right, but their extra buttons went unnoticed. It's not until Apple did it that Oppo and the rest went in that direction as well.