One of the initial sources of the story now denies it, following months of leaks suggesting Apple will replace the traditional volume. And power buttons on this year’s iPhone 15 Pro with elegant solid-state alternatives.
In a Medium post, reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated, “My latest survey indicates that due to unresolved technical issues before mass production, both high-end iPhone 15 Pro models (Pro & Pro Max) will forgo the closely-watched solid-state button design. And revert to the traditional physical button design.” According to 9to5Mac, Jeff Pu of Haitong Tech believes Apple will continue to use classic mechanical buttons for its iPhone 15 Pro variants.
Around October of last year, rumours started to circulate that Apple will use solid-state buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. At the time, Kuo projected that Apple would utilise a solid-state solution for the volume and power buttons on the forthcoming phones. Similar to what it did for the iPhone 8’s home button (though there was no mention of the change coming to the non-Pro iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus). A pair of Taptic Engines would produce haptic feedback on a button press in place of mechanical buttons. Later, leaked phone renders confirmed this design modification.
Kuo claims that switching to simpler physical buttons at this time shouldn’t cause any delays in the production schedules for the phones. But he doesn’t go into much information about the “unresolved technical concerns” that led Apple to remove the functionality. But, Kuo points out that it’s bad news for the manufacturers of solid-state button hardware. This does not preclude it from occurring in subsequent years, just not in 2023.
While the news of today appears 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. Such as the use of a USB-C charging port in place of Lightning. And the inclusion of Dynamic Islands in this year’s non-Pro models.
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