‘Technical concerns’ may compel Apple to play it safe, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who foresaw the move in October. So, we might get to see those physical buttons after all on iPhone 15 Pro. One of the first leaks now denies the change, following months of leaks suggesting the tech giant based in Cupertino will finally replace the traditional volume and power buttons on this year’s Pro lineup with sleek solid-state alternatives.
Ming-Chi Kuo explains:
My latest survey indicates that due to unresolved technical issues before mass production, both high-end iPhone 15 Pro models (Pro & Pro Max) will abandon the closely-watched solid-state button design and revert to the traditional physical button design.
And here’s what the analyst posted on Twitter:
Two iPhone 15 Pro models’ removal of solid-state button design negatively affects Cirrus Logic and AAC / 兩款iPhone 15 Pro取消固態按鍵設計不利Cirrus Logic與瑞聲科技https://t.co/Ot81sCQzgk
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) April 12, 2023
Could we actually get to see two different versions featuring both solid-state buttons and not?!
To better understand the issue, let’s go back to a few months ago when the first rumors appeared. So, Around October 2022, the rumor mill started to spread details that Apple will actually use solid-state buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Okay, so there is nothing new here.
Back then, Kuo said that Apple would utilize a solid-state solution for the volume and power buttons on the forthcoming phones, similar to what it did with the iPhone 8’s home button (no mention back then of the change being available to the non-Pro models and Plus). And the solution came in quite the shape! A pair of Taptic Engines would produce haptic feedback on a button push instead of mechanical buttons.
Later, leaked phone renderings confirmed this design modification.
However, as the recent leaks seem to do away with one of the significant changes to the iPhone lineup for this year, there are still other upgrades that are reportedly in the works. One of the improvements includes the use of a USB-C charging port in place of Lightning and Dynamic Islands to be finally featured in this year’s non-Pro models. What do you think the future of the iPhone 15 will look like?