Skip to Content

iPhone 7 Could Have Touch-Sensitive Home Button as Waterproof and Dustproof Rumors Persist

by

Less than five months before Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, supply chain rumors continue to suggest that the next-generation smartphones will be both fully waterproof and dustproof.

Apple is also reportedly testing a touch-sensitive home button for its upcoming flagship handset, possibly meaning the iPhone 7 could have a flush home button, according to Taiwanese website DigiTimes (via I4U News).

iphone7mockupantennabands

iPhone 7 mockup with a traditional home button

DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple's upcoming product plans, but at least three previous reports have claimed the iPhone 7 will be waterproof over the past seven months, and dustproofing would be inherently plausible. Comparatively, the iPhone 6s is surprisingly water resistant, but not entirely waterproof.

In September, a source on Chinese microblogging service Weibo said the iPhone 7 will have a strengthened, waterproof frame, backed up by a Fast Company report that also claimed the device will be thinner than the iPhone 6s. Rumors suggest the iPhone 7 could be as thin as 6.1mm like the iPod touch.

Rumors surrounding the home button on future iPhones are less consistent. Back in June 2015, a report claimed that Apple was looking to develop new display technology with "integrated fingerprint sensors," potentially allowing for the company to eventually do away with the iconic home button on iPhones.

Liquidmetal-Home
Last month, Apple was granted a patent for a pressure-sensitive Liquidmetal home button that deforms slightly when pressed, but returns to its normal shape when the user removes their finger or thumb. Apple has annually renewed its exclusive rights to use the malleable alloy since 2010, but has yet to do so in a major way.

Last week, Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz speculated that Apple will skip its traditional "S" upgrade cycle next year and introduce the iPhone 8 without a physical home button. Apple's single-chip solution for touchscreen and display drivers could allow for a Touch ID-enabled screen, eliminating the need for a separate home button.

iPhone 7 and/or iPhone 7 Plus models are also rumored to feature a Smart Connector, dual-lens cameras, no 3.5mm headphone jack, repositioned antenna bands, stereo speakers, wireless charging, and a larger battery, but Apple may hold off on some features until its next iPhone with OLED in 2017.

Tag: DigiTimes
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Be Like Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Sunday March 15, 2026 9:42 am PDT by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that iOS 27 will be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that one of Apple's biggest priorities is bug fixes for improved performance and stability. During WWDC 2008's State of the Union, Apple showed a slide that said Mac OS X Snow Leopard had "0 new features," as it opted to focus on performance and...
Read Full Article • 261 comments
AirPods Max 2 Feature

Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 With H2 Chip and More

Monday March 16, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple today unveiled AirPods Max 2, with key upgrades including the H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation. The new AirPods Max have the same overall design as the previous generation, with most of the new features coming from the upgrade to the H2 chip:- Adaptive ...
Read Full Article • 341 comments
apple design award 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Design Award Winners Ahead of WWDC 2025

Tuesday June 3, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement. The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category: Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game) Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
Read Full Article • 25 comments

Top Rated Comments

thisisnotmyname Avatar
thisisnotmyname
129 months ago
I like the physical home button, I've never been a fan of those capacitive buttons on android phones.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
igorsky
129 months ago
This news is irrelevant unless corroborated by the great analyst Ming Chi-Kuo. Then, and only then, will I believe it.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
x-evil-x Avatar
x-evil-x
129 months ago
Stale and predictable... or iconic? There's a reason that car manufacturers have kept the same grille design for decades. Can you imagine a BMW without the kidneys?
But car analogies don't work with phones. You hold a phone and overall footprint matters. Getting rid of the top and bottom overall wasted space will make a much smaller and compact device. Apple needs to do something to stay up to date and iPhones are starting to look dated. Bezels galore.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1Zach1 Avatar
1Zach1
129 months ago


iPhone 7 and/or iPhone 7 Plus models are also rumored to feature a Smart Connector ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/04/13/iphone-7-smart-connector-no-stereo-speaker/'), dual-lens cameras ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/04/04/dual-cameras-exclusive-to-iphone-7-plus-kgi/'), no 3.5mm headphone jack ('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/11/27/iphone-7-no-3-5mm-headphone-jack-lightning/'), repositioned antenna bands ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/02/02/iphone-7-flush-camera-no-bands/'), stereo speakers ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/02/19/suppliers-prepare-iphone-7-production/'), wireless charging ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/07/iphone-7-thinner-waterproof-no-headphone-jack/'), and a larger battery ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/18/iphone-7-alleged-battery-images/'),.
All of that and the removal of the home button to decrease the overall size of the device is a winner in my book, but it looks like I'll be keeping my 6 until the iPhone 8 comes out.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacHiavelli Avatar
MacHiavelli
129 months ago
For a huge, cash-rich company, Apple seems to be doing very little in terms of innovation, design, and maximising the potential and delivery of its products, or it is doing a heck of a lot behind the scenes.

Has Apple become a lazy, rudderless, commonplace producer of lamely fashionable tat, or is it going to surprise us with a move that will let it and technology take a giant leap forwards?

All this parsimonious mediocrity is so underwhelming.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacHiavelli Avatar
MacHiavelli
129 months ago
They're making a car, dude. Chill.
True. But the problem there is that a car will take them into niche territory: fewer people can afford to buy cars, the buyers tend to be older, and the market is heavily fragmented.

Apple's strength in connecting with people came through the iPod: relatively cheap, accessible to people across the social and financial board, and great at hooking the younger generation into the Apple family.

By all means, make a car (or make something better than what we think of as a car today), but such a product risks diluting Apple's appeal and losing it the groundswell of support that it enjoys today with people across the planet.

Increasingly finding that people are falling out of love with Apple: messy product lines, glib designs and accessories, and underwhelming miserly products. No longer cutting edge and desirable, but achingly dull and fashionably risible.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments