Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro could ditch physical hardware buttons entirely
The next iPhone could ditch the proper hardware buttons for volume and power and may instead use “taptic” buttons instead, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. These “solid-state design buttons” will be reminiscent of the iPhone 7 and 8 in that they’ll not actually be pressable, and will only try to replicate the feeling through Apple’s taptic engine. For this, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max may come with taptic motos that’ll be ranged on the left and right sides of the phone, much like the current volume and power buttons.
Kuo says that Apple’s current taptic engine technology suppliers, Luxshare ICT and AAC technologies will benefit from a rise in orders. This is pretty much expected if the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro max indeed come with two haptic motors.
(1/6)My latest survey indicates that the volume button and power button of two high-end iPhone 15/2H23 new iPhone models may adopt a solid-state button design (similar to the home button design of iPhone 7/8/SE2 & 3) to replace the physical/mechanical button design.
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) October 28, 2022
He further adds that Android phone suppliers will follow suit. “It is expected that high-end Android smartphones will also follow Apple’s design to create new selling points, which is a structural positive for the mobile phone vibrator industry,” Kuo stated in a tweet.
Meanwhile, there are rumours doing rounds that Apple may adopt a new naming scheme for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The upcoming model may be called the iPhone 15 Ultra and may adopt a premium titanium body. Sounds familiar? It’s because the iPhone 14 Pro models were also touted to come with the same — only they didn’t. But if these suppositions turn out true this time, then the iPhone 15 Pro models may be even tougher than the iPhone 14 models and be noticeably lighter.
