Apple’s upcoming 2023 flagship iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models were expected to feature solid state buttons for volume, power, etc., similar to the iPhone 7’s home button. Use regular buttons instead due to “unresolved technical issues before mass production”.
Cove writes in his blog. That backing out of the new solid-state button design would negatively impact Apple’s exclusive controller IC supplier CirrusLogic and taptic engine supplier AAC Technologies. That’s why investors predicted that the new design would increase suppliers’ profits and revenues. However, Luxshare ICT, another taptic engine supplier for solid-state buttons, may not be as impressed given its large operating scale.
Making changes to the hardware and going back to regular physical buttons is still possible because the iPhone 15 Pro is in the EVT (engineering verification and testing) development phase, according to Kuo. He added that it should have “a limited impact on the mass production schedule and delivery of Pro models.”
The iPhone 15 series is scheduled to be released in the second half of 2023. Among the various features, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to sport the slimmest bezels of all phones and a slimmer camera bump. It was also revealed that the new models are not compatible with older iPhone 14 cases and Apple is expected to replace the iPhone’s Lightning port with USB-C.
Source: Ming Chi Ko (Middle)
