Say goodbye to the iPhone's physical buttons for life, at least as far as the Pro models are concerned.
Popular Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that the Pro models of the upcoming iPhone 15 could have solid-state buttons instead of physical ones.
Similar to the iPhone 14's case with its processor, Apple may have decided to add solid-state buttons exclusively to the iPhone 15 Pro models either to make the Pro models more appealing than its standard ones or because of supply issues.
iPhone 15 Pro Model Solid-State Button Rumor Details
Kuo's mentioned on his official Twitter account that his latest survey revealed that the volume and power buttons of the iPhone 15's Pro models might have a solid-state design similar to the iPhone 7's home button.
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— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) October 28, 2022
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.
You may remember that the iPhone 7's home button isn't actually a button, as there is none. According to GSMArena, a solid-state button doesn't sink physically as a mechanical one would, cutting down on the number of movable parts used in an iPhone.
Business Insider reported in the past that the iPhone home button was rumored to be easily broken, leading to many people turning to alternative means to access the home button's functions without pressing it at all in fear of breaking it.
With solid-state buttons replacing both the power and volume buttons, iPhone 15 Pro model users won't have to worry about breaking them in the future.
Unfortunately, this exclusivity means that the standard iPhone 15 models will be stuck with mechanical power and volume buttons like the ones featured in the iPhone 14.
Interestingly, Kuo didn't mention anything about whether the mute/silent switch would be replaced with a solid-state button as well, as Phone Arena pointed out.
Additionally, the iPhone 15 Pro models will have Taptic Engines on their internal left and right sides to provide force feedback, making users feel like they are pressing physical buttons instead of solid-state ones.
As such, the number of Taptic Engines in each iPhone Pro model would increase from one to three, increasing the sales of Taptic Engine suppliers in Apple's supply chain.
Solid-State Button Advantages
Apple has several good reasons to make the transition from mechanical buttons to solid-state ones. According to a MacRumors article about the Apple Watch in 2018, solid-state buttons improve an iPhone's water resistance, along with the bonus of taking less internal space, leaving more for other components.
Apple was rumored to be adding these to the Apple Watch at the time but didn't due to unknown circumstances.
However, the company did add solid-state buttons with haptic feedback to all of its MacBooks since 2015.
The reduction of moving components in an iPhone's interior due to the transition means less money is spent on securing components.
It seems Android phone developers also got the memo about the advantages solid-state buttons have, with Kuo reporting that Android smartphones will adopt Apple's design regarding solid-state buttons to create new selling points for their devices.
