iPhone Ultra/Fold is reportedly retaining this contentious feature

This year, Apple is expected to enter the foldable smartphone market with what is being called the iPhone Ultra. This will be a book-style foldable with a wider than typical aspect ratio, and boast quite a few technological advancements from Apple, along with being an all-new style of iPhone. One of the features it is retaining from previous iPhones, however, is said to be the camera control, something a lot of iPhone owners consider ‘useless’.

According to leaker Instant Digital (also Momentary Digital based on machine translation) on Weibo, despite the limited internal space and width of the iPhone Ultra, it will come with camera control. The feature was introduced with the iPhone 16 series and followed through with the iPhone 17 series. It is also expected to be present on the upcoming iPhone 18 lineup.

Apple must have had to go through some engineering challenges to integrate the button on the side of the iPhone Ultra, given than it is going to be even slimmer than the iPhone Air when unfolded. As per the leaker, the reason why Apple decided to keep it was because it wanted users to be able to zoom, adjust some settings, and take photos/videos with just one hand. Typically, with foldables, users have to hold the phone with one hand and then use the other to perform said tasks.

Camera control on iPhone Ultra actually worth it?

Now with camera control on the right side, would photography and videography actually be easier on the iPhone Ultra? While it’s hard to judge without actually using it, theoretically, it still seems a bit challenging doing things with just one hand. Holding the larger and wider phone in the right hand and then using the camera control with the thumb or index finger on the same hand doesn’t seem ergonomically convenient. You would still need two hands and if that is indeed the case, camera control doesn’t really help in the way Apple intends it to.

Furthermore, the feature itself has been a point of contention among iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 series owners. A lot of users find it to be useless and inaccurate. On the other hand, there are some who seem to love it, as it can replace the on-screen camera shortcut. It would be interesting if Apple added more software features to camera control to make it more useful and precise.