Apple Supplier Potentially Hints at iPhone 15 Pro With Solid-State Volume and Power Buttons

Apple supplier Cirrus Logic may have vaguely hinted at iPhone 15 Pro models getting haptic buttons next year, according to research firm Barclays.

iPhone 14 Pro Purple Side Perspective Feature Purple
In a letter to shareholders this month, the Texas-based semiconductor company said it continues to "engage with a strategic customer" and expects to "bring a new HPMS component to market in smartphones next year." HPMS refers to Cirrus Logic's high-performance mixed-signal chips, which includes haptic drivers for the Taptic Engine in iPhones.

On an earnings call with analysts this month, Cirrus Logic CEO John Forsyth narrowed down the timeframe for this new component coming to market to the "back half of next year," which would line up with iPhone 15 Pro models launching next September.

In an investor note last week, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley said the new component that Cirrus Logic mentioned will most likely be part of additional Taptic Engines for the haptic buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models:

The biggest change to our thinking here is to model $1 of new content in the IP15 Pro models. To be clear, the company hasn't said much here other than that the chip is mixed signal and not in the power domain. When looking at potential use cases, the largest change in new iPhone models next year is the removal of the buttons, which would require additional drivers for the haptics engine, making it the most likely use case for new content.

In October, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said iPhone 15 Pro models will feature solid-state volume and power buttons. Kuo said the devices will be equipped with two additional Taptic Engines that provide haptic feedback to simulate the feeling of pressing the buttons, without them physically moving, similar to the Home button on recent iPhone SE models or the Force Touch trackpad on newer MacBooks.

Haptic buttons on iPhones could allow for even better water resistance and would eliminate moving parts that can wear out or break over time. However, the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are still expected to have mechanical buttons.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2

Monday June 23, 2025 2:57 pm PDT by
Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to iOS 26, which we've rounded up below. Control Center The background behind the Liquid Glass Control Center buttons has more blur, allowing...
ios 26 control center b2

iOS 26 Beta 2 Fixes Control Center Design

Monday June 23, 2025 10:58 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26 that Apple provided to developers today, Apple addressed one of the major complaints that people have had with Liquid Glass. iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on right The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26 Includes These Five Smaller Features You Might Have Missed

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:18 am PDT by
While the dust is beginning to settle on the first iOS 26 beta, we continue to take a closer look at new features coming with the update. Below, we recap five smaller changes that you might have missed. Emoji Game Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can play a new Emoji Game, which tasks players with completing words and phrases with emoji. This is the fifth game that is...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...

Top Rated Comments

antiprotest Avatar
34 months ago
I want the iPhone to be completely sealed and waterproof so I can wash it like a piece of lettuce.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eldaerenth Faexidor Avatar
34 months ago
“..would eliminate moving parts that can wear out or break over time.”

Lol, I never had a power or volume button wear out from the very 1st iPhone I had to the 14 Pro I have now.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dom.S Avatar
34 months ago
Buttons are great. Leave them alone. Haptics instead of buttons are a solution to a problem that doesn’t need to exist.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haunebu Avatar
34 months ago
I like keyboards and buttons that actually click.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1557750 Avatar
34 months ago
I have nothing solid in my life.

Why start now?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
34 months ago
I also miss the 3D- Haptic touch. It had a premium feel to it. I hope Apple brings it back.

[MEDIA=twitter]1591217349935235072[/MEDIA]
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)