The hotly anticipated new iPhone 16 range dropping this month is rumored to include a new dedicated ‘capture button’, allegedly working like the shutter release on a traditional camera.
Chinese camera phone manufacturer Xiaomi, however, is apparently going in the opposite direction and removing all the buttons on its new phone, tipped to arrive in the first half of next year.
Tipster Chun Bhai (chunvn8888) posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Xiaomi is working on a flagship phone with no physical buttons, codenamed 'Zhuque'.
This is currently a unique design idea in the smartphone industry. While the 2018 HTC U12+ had pressure-sensitive buttons, it still had obvious mechanical components. Other companies including Meizu and Asus have tried similar designs in the past, but they never made it through the prototype phase.
The design is rumored to be a fully buttonless handset with a touch sensitive screen and hidden under-display camera. There is also speculation that the model might use capacitive or maybe pressure sensitive sensors, and vibration motors that mimic classic buttons, providing tactile feedback.
Solid details about the buttonless phone are pretty thin on the ground. Android Police has reported mentions of the as yet unreleased Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 4 processor, tipped to be released in October. This suggests that the phone will be a flagship Android model, with high-end technology and some potentially very impressive features.
The new Xiaomi model is also expected to include an in-display selfie-camera, similar to those found in the RedMagic 9S Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.
As I said, information at this stage is limited, and it’s not obvious yet why Xiaomi plans to get rid of the buttons. However, a likely reason is to employ a full edge-to-edge screen and dominate that particular market. If this phone does make it out of the lab, it will certainly be interesting to see whether the public goes for it.
Take a look at our guide to the best Xiaomi phones, the best camera phones, and the best iPhone for photography.
