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Apple rumoured to have dropped Taptic buttons for iPhone 15 Pro

A render of the iPhone 15 Pro with conventional hardware buttons. (Image source: MacRumors & @URedditor)
A render of the iPhone 15 Pro with conventional hardware buttons. (Image source: MacRumors & @URedditor)
Over the last few months, there have been numerous leaks and rumours that Apple would adopt solid-state 'Taptic Buttons' for this year's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, two sources now report that Apple has removed this new functionality at short notice owing to compatibility issues.

A few days ago, 9to5Mac shared several renders of the iPhone 15 Pro. Billed as being the most accurate yet, the renders showed Apple's alleged 'Taptic Buttons', which would replace the current physical ones that Apple ships across its entire iPhone portfolio. However, plans appear to have changed during development, with analysts Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo now speaking of issues arising during Engineering Validation Tests (EVT).

Supposedly, technical problems have emerged that have caused Apple to shelve its Taptic Button plans for the iPhone 15 Pro series. Instead, Apple is rumoured to have returned to physical lock and volume buttons. However, it is unclear whether this will impact the mute switch, which Apple was also anticipated to replace with a more feature-rich button.

As such, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are now expected to ship with one fewer change from their current iPhone 14 series counterparts. The pair should still arrive with updated chipsets and USB Type-C ports though, as well as noticeably thinner display bezels and a more curved design. Purportedly, Apple will look to introduce Taptic Buttons in the iPhone 16 Pro series, which could be Apple's final 'Pro' models with its Dynamic Island.

Source(s)

Ming-Chi Kuo, Jeff Pu via 9to5Mac, Image credits - MacRumors & @URedditor

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 04 > Apple rumoured to have dropped Taptic buttons for iPhone 15 Pro
Alex Alderson, 2023-04-13 (Update: 2023-04-13)