Apple’s most recent iPhone lineup may have drawn inspiration from some of the top Android phones, with features such as an always-on display and ProRAW mode which were already present in Samsung and Google Pixel phones. However, the Dynamic Island feature that sets the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max apart may have been first seen on an outdated LG phone. Apple’s use of the black punch hole at the top of the screen to house the selfie camera is what sets it apart. Even though a Mi theme developer attempted to recreate a clone for Xiaomi phones in September 2020, no Android OEM has yet attempted to implement the feature. Realme may be the first to develop a native version of the Dynamic Island for 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.
