Snap! Following the iPhone, three Android manufacturers add a camera button to new models

Hot off the release of the iPhone 16 range, with its dedicated Camera Control button, it’s no surprise that a few imitators have been lurking in the wings.

Three different Android smartphone manufacturers from China have revealed plans to add their own version of the button (which acts like a shutter release on a DSLR or mirrorless camera ) to upcoming models.

Nubia has confirmed that its next smartphone will have a dedicated camera button, and Oppo is also expected to feature a new button on its Find X8 series.

The vice president of Realme, Xu QiChase, also recently posted a video on his Weibo account showing him using a Realme phone with a camera button. The button appears to work by swiping on the key to zoom in, or tap it to take a picture.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Realme has copied a feature made popular by Apple, according to Android Authority :

“The company previously cribbed Apple’s Dynamic Island notch for its budget Android phones, and it also copied the iPhone maker’s MagSafe tech (although Realme’s MagDart ecosystem wasn’t commercially released).”

A day after the Apple Glowtime event the president of Nubia, Ni Fei, claimed on Weibo that the upcoming Nubia Z70 Ultra would have a “more realistic” camera button. He also responded to a user comment apparently saying that it would be a two-stage button, enabling focus with a half-press and capture with a full press.

Oppo’s plans for its camera button are as yet unclear. In August, Leaker Ice Universe posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the Oppo Find X8 series will copy the iPhone 16 with a “Quick Button”. Though whether this will be a dedicated camera button or a general shortcut button remains to be seen.

Either way, for all the jibes that Apple is always following everyone else's lead, it's an interesting turn for Android brands to be copying the iPhone for a change.

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