When Oppo launches the Find X8 smartphone, it will come with a familiar feature that was just released on the iPhone 16 Pro.
Posted to the Chinese social media site Weibo, Zhou Yibao, a product manager for Oppo, posted a video showcasing their version of a pressure-sensitive camera shutter button (spotted by 9to5 Google).
Yibao's video shows someone pressing the button to open the camera app and to take photos. Like Apple's Camera Control button, you can swipe to zoom in or out.
In a move we're sure Apple isn't promoting, the video shows the camera control button being used while underwater, meaning the camera can be used even if your touchscreen isn't available.
To be fair to Oppo, their version of this button has probably been in development for a while now, and Apple's new iPhones only just launched in September.
Oppo isn't the only Chinese smartphone manufacturer launching their next handsets with this feature. Oppo's plans were leaked within the same week of Apple's Glowtime event, where the company revealed the iPhone 16 series. Realme and Nubia also showed off their versions of the Camera Control button within a week.
A separate shutter button isn't a new idea (the swiping is more innovative, though). The Sony Xperia 1 VI features a separate camera button, and phone makers like Nokia and HTC have had separate camera controls on various devices for years.
In China, the Oppo Find X8 should launch in late October. Typically, its phones see a global launch a few months later, meaning they will probably leave China in 2025. Beyond the camera control button, it should have upgraded cameras and a refreshed design.
