Apple is planning to do away with all physical buttons for the iPhone 15, according to insiders.
According to TF Interntional Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning “solid-state” buttons that will use its Taptic Engine array along the phone’s vertical edges to mimic the fell of pressing a physical button.
Apple uses this technology, know commonly as haptic touch, in various other products, such as on its glass-covered MacBook trackpad, which vibrates when you use it, replicating the feel of physically clicking a button.
Apple has used haptic touch tech in iPhones since the iPhone 7, where it used its Taptic Engine to provide realistic physical feedback when using the Touch ID home button.
Another major change likely to make its way to the iPhone 15 is the introduction of a USB-C port to replace the Lightning Port.
Given the EU has implemented a 2024 deadline for products to switch to this universal charging technology, the September 2023 iPhone 15 range would mark the first to fall under that law.