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Rumors counsel iPhone 15 will swap to buttons that do not transfer

Apple’s iPhone 14 line-up has been out for a while now, and we’re starting to see the rumor mill pump out more about the upcoming iPhone 15 series. One of the latest rumors suggests that Apple will switch to solid state buttons for the iPhone’s side buttons.

Solid state buttons are ones that don’t actually move, like the Home Button on iPhone 7 onwards. Per the rumours, Apple will opt for these buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro (or Ultra) models. The regular models will be stuck with the standard buttons, unfortunately.

These rumors come from Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a rather good reputation when it comes to leaks. When it comes to display information in the past, Kuo was a solid track record. But this particular rumor has even more gravitas to it, with Apple supplier Cirrus Logic mentioning solid state buttons featuring on an upcoming device. While the change, of course, isn’t guaranteed, things line up rather nicely.

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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.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) October 28, 2022

So, what does having solid state buttons actually mean for the iPhone 15? Without having the room for buttons to move, the mechanisms will take up less space inside the iPhone. It’s also one less part that could break, with the side buttons as part of the Self Service Repair program. Plus, it’ll make the device more water-resistant, with fewer openings for water to creep in. It’s unclear if Apple will opt for any additional Haptic Engines, or stick with the rather impressive set-up it already uses.

Other early iPhone 15 leaks suggest the device will opt for a titanium finish rather than glass, and will be more curved on the rear like iPhone 5C. We’re hearing more about the upcoming device, with some rumors sounding more likely than others (we don’t expect an all-metal back). With the usual release date of September, we’ve still got a while for more information to come to light. But so far, the iPhone 15 is looking like a fairly tasty upgrade.

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