The unique feature of the phone 16 that I wish all Android apps copied.

Despite Apple’s best efforts to market the iPhone 16’s new camera button as its innovation, this is n’t quite the case. Yes, Apple’s implementation and technology behind the key’s operation is novel, but fundamentally, cellphone camera icons have been a fixture on Android devices ( and beyond ) for years.

However, while smartphone cameras were n’t all that great back in the mid-2010s and did n’t justify the need for a button, this is no longer the case. Hardware camera controls are more important than ever when combined with contemporary device scanning hardware.

As mentioned, the camera button, shutter key, or however the manufacturer responsible marketed it, is n’t a new invention. Camera phones from companies like Samsung and Nokia started selling users actual camera buttons as early as 2009, with real ones available now. Although I had no opportunity to use these specific products, I do recall using the eccentric Samsung K Zoom and the superb Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, both of which came out a few years after. However, even though these phones targeted the toppling of point-and-shoot compact cameras, their hardware was n’t good enough to accomplish this. The pocket camera lasted a little longer after the phone camera important unfortunately lost favor.

Today, almost a decade later, I no longer possess a point-and-shoot. My after favorite Kodak, which I used on excursions, beach visits, music, and everything in between, has been replaced by my cellphone, which boasts more remarkable camera chops in a much more slender form. The current smartphone has won, and despite their varied skills, they are the point-and-shoot heirs. The camera switch today has complete logical meaning.

Sony is the last true Android company to include a technology cameras switch on its premier phones in 2024. However, the Chinese manufacturer has problems with supply and pricing. In consequence, these devices have never met the necessary bulk to restore the camera button as a market regular. Perhaps Apple does support.

Buttons are very important, especially when operating a cameras. Although we’ve been taught over the course of several years to move into the laptop display as the main control surface, a real connection to the shutter has many advantages and drawbacks.

Sony’s present camera button architecture, which some companies used in the history, employs a two-stage system. The sensor cameras method locks on when the camera presses the shutter more deeply, which then triggers the lock-on process. This technique is comparable to how the camera buttons on mobile and DSLR cameras operate.

With a drizzle of AI technology, Apple’s Camera Control answer is a touch-sensitive reactive patch that allows even more functionality, from soon triggering video recording to physically updating ISO, aperture, and zoom levels with a swipe.

Whichever implementation you consider, both accomplish the same core goal: triggering the shutter. Your hands are more likely to rest on the device’s edge when composing a shot. This helps you keep your hands steady when focusing on a subject. You’ll have to hold your hands in the air repeatedly to capture the image before pressing the shutter button to stop the process. You’ll start to move your phone more frequently as a result. Your hands remain steady and static, reducing jitters and awkward movements, which is not a problem with a camera button.

You do n’t necessarily want to take two hands off your device and risk dropping it either, especially with big phones now a modern staple. A camera button solves this issue, too. More interestingly, in the case of small Android flagships, you could quickly capture shots with just one hand with a dedicated shutter button, much like it once was with the Z3 Compact.

Yes, some modern Android phones, like the Pixel series, let you fire the shutter with the volume or power keys. These buttons are typically near the top of the phone and are challenging to access when holding the phone horizontally, though. Shutter buttons are located where your trigger finger would normally be. It’s a far more ergonomic solution.

Of course, Apple’s implementation also offers a variety of related skills, which I briefly covered. With just a few taps and swipes of the trigger finger, you can access all of this functionality that would otherwise be hidden in layers of menus and control icons. It’s pretty smart, in theory.

While the iPhone 16’s version is complicated, there’s very little risk for Android makers to add another simple two-stage pusher to their devices, especially as it would benefit keen photographers. If a single-use button is n’t viable, a few software tricks could easily turn it into a button of all trades.

The camera button has a place on modern smartphones. There are still some things you’ll need the smartphone’s screen for, of course. Apple is attempting to discredit this with its camera control feature, but it’s not clear how effective it is at this point. We’ll be sure to put it through its paces. However, the AI components Apple discussed when it first launched detract from the practical benefits of any kind of camera button.

Smartphones may have replaced point-and-shoot cameras, but they lack that in-the-moment tactility. Photography is all about capturing a feeling. When filming a scene, there is a connection between you, the camera, and the shutter button that a smartphone ca n’t quite replicate with a series of screen taps. A quick release will be very helpful in resolving this disconnect.

Thankfully, it seems that some Android makers agree with me. According to emerging details, several companies could soon join the camera button train, with Nubia, OPPO, and Realme seemingly poised to add it to their next devices. Interestingly, the OPPO Find X8 could be among these devices, a series that traditionally offers particularly powerful camera hardware.

Is it a bad thing for some Android manufacturers to add a camera button to capitalize on the hype surrounding the iPhone 16? While Apple didn’t invent the camera button, its blessing proves the feature has mass market potential. I’d love it if more Android makers drew some inspiration from Cupertino (and Sony).