Dynamic Island, one of the flagship functions of the iPhone 14 Pro, is the envy of Android! So much so that Realme copies it on its C55 smartphone, under the name of Mini Capsule. But not sure that it is as effective and useful…
The least we can say is that the Dynamic Island function, present on the latest iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, caused a lot of talk when it was released! Users were won over very quickly, because it was the first time that a smartphone manufacturer had used the screen punch in a practical and creative way. As a reminder, Apple has chosen to replace the usual notch with a long perforation which camouflages the double hole in the screen thanks to software elements. As a result, the area between the two perforations is filled with unlit pixels, making it a black area at the top of the screen. This is fully integrated into the iOS 16 interface and changes size to display certain information, such as the music listened to or when wireless headphones connect, for example.
But, of course, this good idea has not gone unnoticed by other manufacturers, who are wondering how to integrate it into their products – which already makes less sense, given that Android smartphones most often carry a punch much more discreet than the long perforation of the iPhone 14 Pro. It’s Realme that opens the ball by integrating the function, under the name of Mini Capsule, in the Realme C55, but Xiaomi could not be far behind since the Chinese firm has polled its community on this subject for its future smartphones. In the meantime, an Android application has already been developed.
Mini Capsule: a copy of the Dynamic Island of the iPhone 14
From the Realme C55 presentation video, the Mini Capsule seems to mimic the way Apple’s Dynamic Island works quite well. A priori, it is able to warn the user in the event of low battery, to indicate when the charge begins and ends, and to notify him of the notifications. It also indicates the number of steps taken during the day and the consumption of mobile data. There are still some black spots quickly. Already, the iPhone 14 and the Realme C55 do not play in the same category at all, since Apple’s smartphone is a high-end device while that of its competitor is an entry-level one – even if the technical characteristics are interesting in view of the quality/price ratio. We therefore suspect logically that the two functions will not benefit from the same level of finish. Indeed, while the Dynamic Island relies on interaction, the Mini Capsule seems content to display information – which again raises the question of its usefulness. In addition, the Dynamic Island is displayed on an OLED screen, while the Realme C55 has to make do with a 6.72-inch IPS LCD screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. Finally, the Mini Capsule is on the initiative of Realme, and not of Google with its operating system, where Apple’s function has been designed to integrate perfectly with iOS.
The Realme C55 comes with a MediaTek Helio G88 chip, 6 to 8 GB of RAM and 128 to 256 GB of storage. It is equipped with a fingerprint reader on the edge of the phone and a slot for a micro SD card. It’s powered by a 5,000mAh battery, compatible with 33W fast charging – no wireless charging. On the photo side, the device is equipped with a block of three cameras, with a main sensor of 64 Mpx. For its part, the front camera has an 8 Mpx sensor, which is hidden in the Mini Capsule. It is available in two colors: Sunshower and Black. According to the leaksthe Realme C55 would be marketed at 240 euros for the version with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, and at 270 euros for the configuration with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
The information had already leaked via a tweet from Madhav Sheth, the vice president of Realme. In the image he had posted – and quickly deleted – we could see a Realme smartphone with a dynamic island at the top of its screen. A demonstration video had also been shared by the famous and well-informed leaker Oneleaks, where we saw more of the interface. Finally, let’s not forget that Realme is a subsidiary of Oppo, therefore this function could also be found on Oppo smartphones and possibly those of OnePlus.
Realme and Xiaomi to conquer the Dynamic Island
In a message posted on his official foruml in September 2022, Realme asked its users if they would like a “Realme Island” integrated into the brand’s smartphones. While she didn’t directly quote the Dynamic Island, the company’s description of it couldn’t be clearer: “Can you imagine what would happen if Realme UI added a software trick to turn the camera cutout into a multi-function feature? The UI around the camera hole could transform into different shapes and sizes to display incoming phone calls, alerts, notifications, and more.” Realme then offered its customers to “to address ideas and suggestions on how such software functionality might be implemented” – they had until September 22. The firm had to choose three proposals which would be proposed to the community in the form of a survey. The most popular idea was then to be featured on the Realme Community homepage and Realme UI developers were to consider it for a “possible implementation in the future.”
Ditto for the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi. Gadgets360 website had spotted a message from Lu Weibing, the president of Xiaomi in China, on Sina Weibo. Responding to a user about the future Redmi K60 phone, he asked if users would have “really need a Smart Island” on their smartphones, and he had received a massive “yes”. If Xiaomi had not yet officially announced its intention to add this function to one of its products, a video was circulating on YouTube – it has since been deleted. A certain Eprodukt presented a smartphone – which he claimed to be the Redmi K60 – which incorporated a function strongly resembling the Dynamic Island, with an interactive bubble that unfolds along the camera in order to provide various information – here the multimedia player. Information to be taken with very large tweezers.
An Android application that simulates Dynamic Island
A developer had already taken the lead in developing an application, called “dynamicSpot – Multitasking“, which simulates the functions of Dynamic Island. In beta since September 2022 – but still functional – it mimics some functions of Apple’s new user interface while adding customization options. Notifications are therefore displayed on a floating island at the level of the camera module. The user can choose which notifications will be displayed on the screen – basically, the application intercepts the notifications and modifies their format on the model of the Dynamic Island. Music, timer, alarms, mapping… All these types of applications are supported, but in addition, it is possible to change the appearance, the position – in order to adapt it to the location of the front camera of the phone -, the size and the rounding of the DynamicSpot, and even to display two notifications at the same time.
There is a paid version at 3.99 dollars – you have to support the developer – in order to unlock new options, such as the possibility of displaying the DynamicSpot on the lock screen. Regarding privacy security, the app asks for almost full access to all rights of the smartphone – in order to control everything that is displayed on the screen – but the developer claims that no data is collected or shared with a third party.
