Analysts: Apple will not put capacitive buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro

Apple would not put capacitive buttons on the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro. The design would be too complex and therefore the manufacturer would, at least this year, fall back on mechanical buttons for its most expensive phones.

The step is still possible now, because the iPhone 15s are still in the Engineer Validation Test phase, says TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The switch would have little effect on the phones’ release, which should still take place around the same time this fall. Another analyst, Jeff Pu of Haitong Tech, first came up with the information, writes 9to5Mac.

The reason for the change is that the design is too complex to implement. Apple would like to replace each button with a vibration motor to imitate the feel of a button. Rumors about the iPhone 15 Pro with capacitive buttons have been going on for months and those buttons were seen in renders. Apple is said to still plan to use the technology, but next year. This technology is not new: the HTC U12+ from 2018, for example, does not have physical, but capacitive buttons. Apple usually releases its iPhones in September or October.

In the first photo, the render is next to a real iPhone 14 Pro. Source: 9to5Mac