Realme’s Dynamic Island clone has been leaked
Apple’s latest iPhone series undoubtedly lifted a few elements from many of the best Android phones, including the always-on display and ProRAW mode, both of which were already available in one form or another on Samsung and Google Pixel phones. The Dynamic Island, on the other hand, is unique to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, though it can be argued that it was first seen on a long-retired LG phone. Apart from housing the selfie snapper, what distinguishes Apple’s implementation is how it makes practical use of the black punch hole in the top of the screen. A Mi theme developer tried to conjure up a Dynamic Island clone for Xiaomi phones last September, but not a single Android OEM has yet to take a crack at it. Realme may be the first to bring a native version of it to an Android phone.
In a now-deleted tweet, Realme’s Vice President Madhav Sheth teased an upcoming C-series model that demonstrated its own version of Dynamic Island. Dubbed “MiniCapsule,” the pill-shaped interface showed how it can perform practical tasks such as displaying the phone’s charging status. It also expands to display other quick information and then collapses after a few seconds, similar to the iPhone 14 Pro.
Although the tweet has since been taken down, @OnLeaks was quick to take action and share a GIF version of the video in collaboration with SmartPrix.
The tweet doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as Realme previously flirted with the idea in September of last year when it asked its community members whether they wanted a “dream island,” a subtle reference to Apple’s feature. At the same time, Xiaomi China’s President Lu Weibing took to Weibo to check if Mi fans would welcome a “smart island” in future Xiaomi handsets.
While we have yet to see any Android phone featuring a native floating UI element behind the punch hole front camera, a few third-party apps have already replicated the experience. For example, dynamicSpot offers a near-Dynamic Island experience on your Android phone, and it’s free to download from the Play Store. However, it feels too hacky to use on a regular basis, as is often the case when an app tries to emulate an iOS feature that isn’t native to Android.
Realme’s implementation, on the other hand, could result in a more native experience that doesn’t require a lot of legwork.
