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It's a much more compact mechanical movement than a traditional focusing system, allowing them to use the same sensors for two different zoom levels on the phone. Right now this is otherwise being done by using multiple sensors and lenses instead.

You can change the zoom/focus by a lot more if the lens can be made to change shape, kind of like the eye. You would need to have a much greater degree of movement to replicate it with hard lenses.

You could also do things like use different patches of the sensor to focus different parts of the scene. Depending on how much the lens can morph, it could provide for bifocal functionality or limited fly eye.

I remember prior literature on liquid lenses used electric charges. It is possible the ones in the phones use mechanical movements to get around patents.

I think I also remember something like that. It might have been an interface between silicon oil and a saline solution that was deformed by applying an electric field.