Honor 400 Lite Copies IPhone 'Camera Control' With The Help Of Google Lens

Honor’s latest mid-range smartphone is the Honor 400 Lite, and it has a new “AI Camera Button” that can launch Google Lens.

New buttons are an increasing trend in smartphones as of late, and Honor is jumping into the game with a new “AI Camera Button” on the Honor 400 Lite. The “Android-first” button, Honor explains, both opens and controls the camera. A single press opens the camera and then the button acts as a shutter button. A press-and-hold gesture allows for a quick way to start recording video. Sliding your finger along the button interacts with zoom, similar to Apple’s “Camera Control” button. Oppo introduced something similar on the Find X8 series last year, but that wasn’t a physical button and rather just a pressure/touch-sensitive portion of the frame.

Beyond using the camera itself, Honor also notes that the “AI Camera Button” can open Google Lens, again mimicking the functionality of Apple’s Camera Control button.

Honor says:

The AI Camera Button on the HONOR 400 Lite 5G further provides quick access to Google Lens, allowing users to explore and interact with their surroundings effortlessly. This feature integrates seamlessly with Smart Vision (Google Lens), transforming your smartphone into a powerful tool for exploration and learning.
Identify plants, animals, and artwork with ease, or translate foreign text from menus and signs in real-time across over 100 languages. Solve academic questions or shop by scanning products—Google Lens opens up a world of possibilities right from your camera. The Google Gemini Power Button further enhances the device’s functionality, providing quick access to AI Eraser & AI Outpainting tools, which allows for effortless photo editing and enhancement.

The camera itself is a 108MP sensor, while the rest of the Honor 400 Lite looks like a fairly tame package. Rounding out the cameras, you’ll get a rear-facing 5MP depth sensor with a 16MP front-facing camera in a widened display cutout. The display is a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel. Honor 400 Lite is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7025-Ultra chipset, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 5,230 mAh battery.

Honor 400 Lite launches in the UK on April 22 for £249.99 with three colors available.

This launch comes as leaks of the Honor 400 series are heating up. Recently, YTechb posted images of the Honor 400 and 400 Pro which Honor requested the publication to remove. Last year, the Honor 200 series launched globally in June, with the 200 Lite having launched in May. That timing combined with the recent leak suggests an earlier timeline from Honor this year as well.