Perhaps my favorite open secret in the tech world is that, at some point or another, every phone maker will copy the iPhone.
Wherever you look, you can find companies taking the occasional extra helping of inspiration from the Cupertino giant, from the obviously iPhone-inspired software used by the best OnePlus phones and best Oppo phones to the flat edges of the Google Pixel 9 series to Samsung’s infamous ditching of the headphone jack just three years after mocking Apple for doing the same thing.
And yet, for all its popularity, Apple continues to take a lot of flak for the iPhone. Even the highest-end iPhone 16 Pro Max is outclassed on specs and price by its nearest Android competitors, and Apple has persisted in equipping its mid-level phones with bizarrely outdated tech in key areas (a 60Hz display in 2024? Come on…). But with that all said, Apple makes devices that just work. Sure, progress is slower in Cupertino, but its innovations rarely disappoint, and this year played host to another great example of this long-running pattern.
As a currently full-time Android user, I think the iPhone 16’s Camera Control is the most exciting thing to happen to smartphones since the in-display fingerprint scanner. A touch-sensitive shutter button on a $799 phone – with, might I add, no attendant price hike – shows serious ingenuity.
Though I’ve only gotten hands-on with the feature briefly at an Apple retail store, my experience essentially confirmed the things I’d read and reported on prior to its launch, and I knew that Camera Control – or some form of it – was something I’d want to experience for myself.
Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long – I was tasked with completing our Oppo Find X8 Pro review, and have since adopted it as my daily driver. The phone’s ridiculously great quad-camera system is controlled by the Quick Button, a pseudo-Camera Control that I was happy to see lifted from Apple’s R&D labs.
Though I may never live it down, I am actively asking Android phone makers to copy Apple on this one.
Having a way to quickly access the camera, a dedicated off-screen shutter button, and capacitive zoom controls all in one interface has revolutionized the way I take photos on my phone, bringing physicality and intention to the experience. And Oppo’s Quick Button is frankly a nerfed version of the real deal – the proper Camera Control is even more useful, with support for a wide array of double-tap inputs that allow you to scroll through options and access parameters beyond just zoom.
What I want to see now is the consolidation of the shutter button as a smartphone essential – though I may never live it down, I am actively asking Android phone makers to copy Apple on this one.
Eating from the Apple
Just imagine the possibilities! Apple makes great camera phones, but their systems are quite frequently outclassed by Android competitors. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has an incredibly powerful camera system, with a 200MP main camera and up to 5x telephoto zoom. A capacitive shutter button could dually give professionals extra options and help average users access more of the options that normally live deep in on-screen menus or, worse, in the settings app. Other phones that come to mind are the OnePlus 12 (and its upcoming successor, the OnePlus 13) and the Google Pixel 9 Pro; these phones represent what’s possible with modern mobile photography – a dedicated camera button could take them even further.
Of course, there will be some users that don’t want a shutter button of any kind, but I’m hopeful that these people can be won over with unobtrusive designs: the Oppo Find X8 Pro’s Quick Button is flush with the rest of the frame, and can be completely disabled in settings.
Out of respect for originality, it’s worth noting that Apple wasn’t the first phone maker to affix a shutter button to one of its handsets. Sony has been doing this for years with the modern Xperia lineup, and way back in 2013, the Nokia Lumia 1020 launched with a mechanical shutter button. However, Apple’s unassailable popularity means the iPhone 16 is better poised than either of these phones to lead shutter buttons into the mainstream. I just hope that when it comes time to take inspiration from the top dog, Android phone makers focus on the year’s most exciting hardware evolution.