>That's what srcset & <source> were invented for.

I don't know Next.js but I just spot checked a comparison to see if srcset is an exact subtitute.

- If I'm reading CanIUse chart correctly, it says IE11 isn't compatible.[1]

- syntax of srcset requires manual and verbose specification of different source images. E.g. from MDN[2]:

  <img srcset="elva-fairy-480w.jpg 480w,
             elva-fairy-800w.jpg 800w"
     sizes="(max-width: 600px) 480px,
            800px"
     src="elva-fairy-800w.jpg"
     alt="Elva dressed as a fairy">

- Next.js example[3] is simpler and shorter:

  import Image from 'next/image'
  <Image src="/profile-picture.jpg" width="400" height="400">

The Next.js post also says that <Image> tag also provides the following dynamic feature: When using the next/image component, images are automatically lazy-loaded, meaning they're only rendered when the user is close to seeing the image. This prevents loading that 30% of images outside of the initial viewport.

Like I said, I'm not an expert. The Next.js Image function doesn't look like useless redundancy with plain HTML5.

[1] https://caniuse.com/?search=srcset

[2] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Multimed...

[3] https://nextjs.org/blog/next-10#nextjs-image-component