Apple iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max Could Come With Solid State Volume Buttons Powered By Taptic Engine

Last Updated on October 29, 2022 by Anu Joy

Rumours about the iPhone 15 are already circulating online, and the latest addition comes from notable TF International Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo. He claims Apple will switch mechanical volume buttons with taptic engine powered solid state buttons in the iPhone 15 next year. 

The new buttons on the upcoming iPhone 15 will function like the home button in the iPhone SE or the iPhone 7. It was a solid state button that felt like a real button thanks to the Taptic Engine, present on either sides of the frame of the phone. 

iPhone 15 Models To Come With Solid State Buttons

The solid state buttons will not sink in physically, and will instead respond with haptic feedback imitating a physical button and confirm presses. The new buttons are rumoured to come to only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max variants, indicating even more design-level differentiation after the Dynamic Island. 

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will retain the physical click buttons for now. Kuo also expects the technology to be picked up by other Android smartphone manufacturers with their premium smartphones also sporting solid state buttons powered by haptic feedback. 

The move to solid state buttons seems to be an indication that Apple is aiming for a portless iPhone with no holes and openings, ensuring total protection from dust and water. There are also long standing rumours that the iPhone maker will do away with wired charging altogether and only offer wireless charging on future iPhones, in a bid to avoid complying with the EU order to use a USB-C port for iPhones. 

The taptic engine is being made for Apple by its Chinese supplier Luxshare, which is set to open a facility in India in Tamil Nadu. The company also assembles iPhones in China and makes wearables like the Apple Watch.