Apple could shelve mechanical volume, power buttons on iPhone 15 Pro

WASHINGTON: The mechanical volume and power buttons on next year's iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max could be replaced with haptic feedback using solid-state toggles.

According to The Verge, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests these buttons could function similarly to the solid-state home button first released on the iPhone 7.

Back then the home button could not physically press down but it vibrated in response to touch. The solid-state home button, which is powered by Apple's Taptic Engine, was present on the iPhone 8, as well as the second and third-generation models of the budget-friendly iPhone SE.

Kuo explained in a tweet that Apple will have to add Taptic Engines on the left and right side of the two high-end iPhone 15 models to "provide force feedback to make users feel like they are pressing physical buttons," reported The Verge.

This would bring the number of Taptic engines inside the iPhone 15 from one to three. Kuo did not mention the base iPhone 15 or the iPhone 15 Plus, so these two models might keep the same clicky power and volume buttons.

As per The Verge, even though there's still almost a year before the iPhone 15's debut, there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming device, including that it may drop the 'Pro Max' branding for 'Ultra', and may even feature the new Dynamic Island on all models -- not just the Pro versions.