14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is working around the clock on the next-generation iPhone, and as per the company’s typical schedule, it is projected to launch in September 2023.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, one of the changes that will make their way to the iPhone 15 concerns the design of the volume and power buttons.
This is because the Cupertino-based tech giant is apparently planning to give up on the physical buttons currently being used on the iPhone for a solid-state design similar to the one used for the iPhone 7 home button.
As a result, the company will use new Taptic Engines that are specifically supposed to make pressing the buttons to feel as natural as pressing a physical button.
“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,” Kuo explains in a tweet.
“There will be Taptic Engines located on the internal left and right sides to provide force feedback to make users feel like they are pressing physical buttons. Due to this design change, the number of Taptic Engines used in each iPhone will increase from the current one to three. As a result, the existing Taptic Engine suppliers, Luxshare ICT (1st supplier) and AAC Technologies (2nd supplier) will be significant beneficiaries,” Kuo continued.
Furthermore, the analyst believes that Apple will once again become a trend-setter, with Android device makers out there very likely to copy the idea and bring a similar button design to their smartphones as well.
“It is expected that high-end Android smartphones will also follow Apple's design to create new selling points, which is a structural positive for the mobile phone vibrator industry,” he explained in a follow-up tweet earlier this week.