Apple may be considering replacing the iPhone 15 Pro’s clickable volume and power buttons with solid-state buttons. This detail was shared by a technology analyst, who compared it to the time the iPhone 7 changed the clickable Home button with a solid-state Home button. The analyst also said that if iPhone users “respond favourably” to this modification, the technology could most likely extend to other high-end phones in the future. When the solid-state buttons are pressed, Apple will reportedly use Taptic Engine to recreate the “clicky” sensation of a real button.
TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had first reported on Apple’s plans for solid-state buttons for iPhones in October. He emphasised his prediction in a new series of tweets on Wednesday, providing more details on the supply chain.
“My latest survey indicates that high-end iPhone 15 models will feature solid-state buttons and will equip with additional Taptic Engines to simulate the feel of physical buttons’ force feedback,” Kuo wrote, adding, “Cirrus Logic is the primary winner for canceling physical buttons and the change to adopt solid-state buttons on the 2H23 high-end iPhone 15 models.”
“As the exclusive supplier of Taptic Engine’s controller IC for solid-state buttons, Cirrus Logic stands to benefit markedly from this new design. If users respond well to this new design, I think it may be adopted in other high-end models of product lines in the future,” Kuo further explained.
The power and volume buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro models will no longer be physical buttons as a result of this change. Instead, they’ll be solid-state surfaces, and when pressed, Apple’s Taptic Engine will simulate the “clicky” sensation of a real button.
It sounds familiar because, with the iPhone 7, Apple began doing the same thing with the physical Home button. That device, as well as successive iPhones with a Home button, used a solid-state design rather than a physically moving button. On recent MacBooks, the trackpad is also made of solid-state components.
In addition to the rumoured solid-state buttons, the upcoming iPhone 15 lineup could also borrow Apple’s Dynamic Island notch design from iPhone 14 pro models. According to a recent report, the pill-shaped dynamic notch could make its way to all four iPhone 15 models. The iPhone 15 pro models are also tipped to feature a titanium frame instead of a stainless-steel one.