According to the most recent information provided by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will no longer feature solid-state buttons because of “unresolved technical issues before mass production.”
In October, Kuo said that the iPhone 15 Pro models would have solid-state buttons. He stated that the iPhone’s two additional Taptic Engines would provide haptic feedback to resemble the Home button on the iPhone 7 or the Force Touch trackpad on newer MacBooks to simulate the feeling of pressing the buttons without them moving. However, he stated today in a Medium post that the devices will indeed have physical buttons.
Kuo wrote, “Due to unresolved technical issues before mass production, both high-end iPhone 15 Pro models (Pro and Pro Max) will abandon the closely-watched solid-state button design and revert to the traditional physical button design.” It is unclear whether Apple will continue to use a single, elongated volume button, as was previously speculated, or whether a “traditional” design will mean there will be two volume buttons.
Kuo said there is still time for Apple to adjust the iPhone 15 Ace’s plan given the gadget stays in the EVT advancement stage. He believes that the change will have a “limited impact” on the Pro models’ shipments and mass production schedule.
Tech analysts Jeff Pu and Shelly Chou at the investment firm Haitong International Securities in Hong Kong also reported the reversal.
“In light of our store network checks, we presently anticipate that iPhone 15 Ace series should move back to the flow plan of an actual button because of a more mind-boggling plan,” said Pu and Chou, in an exploration note got by MacRumors today. The design of the solid-state button, according to analysts, will not be available until the iPhone 16 series in 2024.
Kuo stated that this information is “unfavorable” to Cirrus Logic and AAC Technologies, two significant suppliers of iPhone-related Taptic Engine components.