With recent rumors suggesting a last-minute change to the iPhone 15 Pro’s feature set, what’s in store for the device’s volume buttons remains unseen. We’ve heard multiple rumors that the iPhone 15 Pro models are set to adopt a new volume button and mute switch design, but emerging rumors of Apple abandoning solid-state button technology have thrown the design rumors into disarray.
As of now, there’s no indication that Apple will change its plans for a single, elongated volume button and a mute button instead of a mute switch, and we’ve got a close look at what the buttons will look like provided there are no radical design bouts in store. Unknown leak 21 work with Mac rumors To share the actual design of the iPhone 15 Pro volume and mute buttons, which have not been seen before now.
We used iPhone 15 Pro information obtained from Unknownz21 to create images that depict the layout of the volume, mute, and power buttons, including a render of the internal components. Note that these renders were created prior to the latest solid-state rumors, and there could be changes to the internal layout, but there’s a good chance the external design will remain the same. In fact, Unknown21 confirmed that the solid-state button design was still in development until very recently, and there’s a chance it won’t ever be scrapped.
The leaks so far have got the single-volume rocker rumor right, but the Apple-developed design includes a split in the middle to designate the volume up and volume down sections of the button. With the middle split, the layout looks similar to two separate buttons, but it’s a marked departure from the current button layout in which the volume up and volume down buttons feature.
Apple has not used this type of unified button design since the iPhone 3GS in 2009, where the company swapped two separate buttons for up and down with the iPhone 4, and eventually moved to the extended dual buttons with the launch of the iPhone 6 in 2014. It should be noted that the single button design that represents The middle class has existed since the early iPhone 15 Pro development period.
Apple initially planned to introduce a single volume button design along with solid-state technology, but reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that solid-state buttons have been abandoned. There were “unresolved technical issues” that Apple couldn’t address before mass production, so the solid-state buttons will be delayed and eventually introduced with a newer version of the iPhone.
Solid state technology is what Apple uses for the Mac’s trackpad and the Home button on the Touch ID iPhone. With this feature, the volume button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will no longer be physically depressed, and instead use haptic feedback to mimic the sensation of pressing. With the tactile buttons delayed, Apple could instead use the single button layout with the standard physical buttons.
So far I haven’t seen anything that suggests a different external design for the buttons – if this is true, I think it’s probably more of an internal change than a visual thing. Currently, EVT units use the current design—although changes are always possible https://t.co/eK71637HRJ
– Unknownz21 🌈 (@uredditor) April 12, 2023
In his Medium post, Kuo said the buttons will have a “traditional physical button design,” but he didn’t provide context on whether Apple would stick to changing the single volume button design or revert to the same two-button design that was used for the iPhone 14 models. Additional ambiguity surrounding what kind of volume button design we’ll be getting for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, and there are arguments for keeping the single-button design and going back to the previous design. Unknownz21 believes that Apple will be making minor changes to the buttons at this point, and that while there could be additional separation between the buttons, the design will not be the same as that of the iPhone 14 button.
Since there are other internal changes planned for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max to accommodate the new camera technology (specifically in the case of the periscope lens for the Pro Max), it may not be easy for Apple to revert to the original button design. Additionally, there were rumors that Apple planned to replace the mute switch with a mute button, and that the button could act as a versatile action button similar to the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra.
The Apple Watch Ultra Action Button and the Side button on all Apple Watch models use physical button technology. It is not tactile or hard case, so it can be demonstrated that what works for the watch will work with the iPhone. Apple can keep the single volume button and the Action button even without switching to touch technology. Apple has been referring to the button as the “ringer button” or “action button” internally, which already seems to imply the possibility of a customizable multifunction button.
We have a detailed look at the module (codenamed “Bongo”) that Apple designed for the volume button, mute button, and power button, built using information about the internal layout. While the renders are still getting a look at the possible exterior design Apple will use, there will likely be internal changes to that design. Apple initially intended to add two additional Taptic Engines to the iPhone 15 Pro models to power the tactile buttons, but these buttons will no longer be needed.
Unless Apple had last-minute plans to ditch the mute switch for button transition and the extended volume button in favor of the previous design, what we’re sharing here today is a realistic depiction of what the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will look like. It’s the most complete image of the iPhone 15 Pro to date, a design that Apple has envisioned since the iPhone 15 Pro was in its early design stages.
While the loss of solid-state button technology is a huge disappointment to those who were looking forward to it, Apple has other design changes coming to the iPhone 15 Pro models. The body of the device will be made of titanium, which is the same material that Apple uses in the Apple Watch Ultra. Like the frame, the buttons will also be made of titanium.
Titanium is stronger than aluminum and lighter than stainless steel, the material Apple used for the iPhone 14 Pro. We expect iPhone 15 Pro to reduce weight compared to iPhone 14 Pro based on the materials update only, but the final weight will depend on the alloy Apple uses and internal layout changes.
Titanium has a more polished and matte finish than stainless steel, and the duller texture will be more resistant to fingerprints. Apple also tested shiny mirror for the iPhone 15 Pro frame, so there’s little chance that both glossy and matte options will be offered for some models. Since titanium is stronger than stainless steel, the iPhone 15 Pro frame may be more resistant to scratches and bends, but it may be easier to scratch because the oxide layer is easily damaged.
In addition to the titanium frame, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will also have a design that softens the edges and deepens the curvature in the corners of the device, so while it will look similar to the iPhone 14 Pro, it will not be the same. Featured. The bezels are noticeably smaller and will increase the available display area somewhat, but no changes are expected in Dynamic Island.
Other iPhone 15 Pro features include a TSMC 3nm A17 chip, a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, the Periscope camera lens of the iPhone 15 Pro Max with expanded optical zoom, faster 5G, and Wi-Fi 6E.
Note that many of the new additions, including the planned unified volume button, mute button, and titanium frame, will be limited to the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max and will not be available with the standard iPhone 15 models.
For more information on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, we have the file iPhone 15 Pro report Which brings together everything we’ve heard so far, and we have it too Separate report on iPhone 15 Which gives a better idea of the differences between the professional and non-professional models.