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Why iPhone 16 might dump physical buttons for capacitive ones

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Closeup of iPhone 15’s new Action button.
No more traditional buttons like these. iPhone 16 could use capacitive ones instead.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

The upcoming iPhone 16 series will have no traditional buttons at all, according to information leaking out of the company that will supply the capacitive buttons that will supposedly replace them.

If true, the change would make the iOS devices more durable and waterproof.

Capacitive buttons could make iPhone 16 last longer

Rumors that physical buttons will be removed from iPhone surfaced back in 2022. But it didn’t happen with the iPhone 15 series after Apple reportedly couldn’t work bugs out of the tech.

The problems have apparently been fixed because Economic Daily reports that ASE Investment Holdings will make capacitive button modules for the iPhone 16. These will allegedly go on both sides of the handset so there will be no physical buttons at all.

Capacitive buttons register the user’s touch but don’t move. A previous unconfirmed report indicated that Apple would add two Taptic Engines to the iPhone to make it vibrate to indicate that a button has been “pushed.”

Why capacitive buttons in iPhone 16?

Those questioning the need for such a change should consider that any moving part wears out. And even the best designed ones are also inherently more fragile than a solid piece of the same general shape.

Plus, the openings around the current buttons are a potential way for water to enter the handset’s interior if the device is accidentally submerged.

iPhones famously last for years and years, and moving buttons can become worn over extended use. Capacitive buttons in the iPhone 16 would help make the product’s useful life even longer.

Perhaps iPhone 16 Pro only

Monday’s report by Economic Daily says the new type of button is coming to the iPhone 16 without being more specific. But it’s possible the change will come only to the Pro and Pro Max versions of the handsets.

Apple makes a habit of introducing new technology in its two premiere models before extending it to the two more affordable versions. That was true for the Dynamic Island and the Action Button. And the end of traditional buttons might be the next example.

We’ll know for sure this autumn when the entire iPhone 156 series is expected to be unveiled to the world.



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Apple Orders Capacitive Button Components Allegedly for iPhone 16

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Apple has ordered a large number of capacitative button components from a Taiwan supplier that are allegedly for use in the upcoming iPhone 16 series, claims a new report out of Asia.

unbox therapy 15 buttons

Image credit: Unbox Therapy

According to the Economic Daily News, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering won the order, which is said to include system-in-a-package (SIP) modules that will be used to integrate capcative components with two Taptic Engine motors, one on either side of the iPhone.

The claim in the report is that Apple will replace the existing physical buttons on both sides of the iPhone 15 with capacitive versions that will provide ‌iPhone 16‌ users with haptic feedback. The latter type of button detects pressure and emulates the press of a physical button via a haptic (or Taptic) engine which generates vibrations.

Apple may well have ordered the buttons in preparation for future production plans, but this does not necessarily mean that they are destined for use in this year’s ‌iPhone 16‌ models.

The earliest known prototypes of the ‌‌iPhone 16‌‌ were thought to include haptic power and volume buttons. Project Bongo, as it was known internally, was a redesign of the volume and power buttons on the ‌iPhone 15‌. However, it was scrapped in 2023 following unresolved technical issues, according to MacRumors‘ sources. After the cancelation of the Bongo project, Apple moved back to mechanical buttons for the ‌‌iPhone 16‌‌.

As a result, most rumors suggest that ‌iPhone 16‌ models will have all-mechanical buttons, and this includes the rumored addition of a fourth button. According to The Information, Apple will add a new “Capture Button” to all ‌iPhone 16‌ models, but the button is expected to be mechanical rather than capacitive, and yet it will be able to respond to pressure and touch.

The button will be used for taking photos and videos, and ‌iPhone‌ users will reportedly be able to zoom in and out by swiping left and right on the button, focus with a light press, and activate a recording with a more forceful press.

Today’s report claims the capacitive components will enter volume production in the third quarter of this year, which is unusually late in terms of Apple’s typical initial ‌iPhone‌ production run, so the order may be for the ‌iPhone‌ 17 lineup rather than this year’s upcoming models. That said, as we saw with the ‌‌iPhone 15‌‌ series, things can change fairly far into the process, so watch this space.

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