iPhone 15 Pro 'Buttonless Design' Rumors: Everything We Know

The iPhone 15 Pro models will feature a "buttonless design" thanks to additional Taptic Engines, according to multiple corroborated reports, so what do we know about the change so far?

iPhone 15 Pro Blue Feature
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was first to report that the volume and power buttons on this year's two high-end iPhone models will adopt a solid-state design, similar to the ‌iPhone‌ 7's home button, replacing a mechanical button design that physically depresses. Apple uses a similar method for its Mac trackpads, which do not physically move and simply mimic the feeling of being pressed with small vibrations.

The new iPhones will reportedly feature additional Taptic Engines on the internal left and right sides to provide physical feedback to users, making it seem as though they are pressing real buttons. The change means that the number of Taptic Engines in each ‌iPhone‌ will increase from one to three.

Barclays subsequently appeared to corroborate Kuo's report, saying that Apple supplier Cirrus Logic may have hinted at ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ models getting haptic buttons in 2023 – something Kuo later noted with specific mention of Cirrus Logic benefiting from Apple orders to bring the feature about this year. Analyst Jeff Pu has similarly said that the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ models will feature solid-state volume and power buttons with haptic feedback thanks to two extra Taptic Engines, meaning that there seems to be a growing consensus among analysts about the change.

Taptic Engine iPhone 6sThe Taptic Engine in the ‌iPhone‌ 6S – the first ‌iPhone‌ model to feature the component.

Apple was rumored to be planning to transition the Apple Watch to solid-state buttons several years ago, but the switch never took place. At the time, it was said that solid-state buttons would improve water resistance and take up less internal space, but it is not clear if that would be the case for the ‌iPhone‌ since sufficient space for two more Taptic Engines will be required.

It is as yet unclear how the new haptic buttons will work through cases, especially if they require direct touch contact. Likewise, there will need to be solutions to accommodate device recovery in situations the ‌iPhone‌ may not be working as expected.

‌iPhone‌ rumors from 2021 suggested Apple could move back to round volume buttons like the ‌iPhone‌ 4, 4S, 5, and 5S models, so it seems plausible that such a change could finally occur this year hand-in-hand with the switch to solid-state buttons. Round buttons would not only have a larger surface area for the touch contact required for haptic buttons, but would also be visibly different from any ‌iPhone‌ models in recent years to overtly flag the presence of the new feature. Leaked iPhone 15 Pro schematics do not clearly show whether the device will have round or oblong volume buttons.

Last year, Apple stressed that enabling iOS 16's "keyboard haptics" feature could drain battery life when enabled, and the feature is off by default. Any hardware or software feature on an ‌‌iPhone‌‌ obviously consumes battery life, but the fact that Apple felt it was worth explicitly mentioning for keyboard haptic feedback may indicate that the additional power the Taptic Engine uses is relatively significant. As such, the battery life impact to power two extra Taptic Engines and hundreds of additional daily uses in the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ remains an open question.

The iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus are expected to retain traditional clickable volume and power buttons, so it seems likely that Apple will have to tout some kind of meaningful improvement or new functionality to successfully upsell customers to the buttonless design. The ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ models are also rumored to feature a titanium frame, a USB-C port, new Sony image sensors, periscope telephoto camera technology, 8GB of memory, a 3nm "A17 Bionic" chip, and more.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15 Pro

Top Rated Comments

cocky jeremy Avatar
15 months ago
What we KNOW about the iPhone 15: Nothing.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
15 months ago
I miss the classic 3D Touch. Apple needs to consider bringing back the 3D Touch on the iPhone 15 line up. It had a premium feel to it.

https://www.macrumors.com/guide/haptic-touch-vs-3d-touch-whats-the-difference/
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
erikkfi Avatar
15 months ago
How is this going to work with cases? With gloves in the winter?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lurch92 Avatar
15 months ago

What we KNOW about the iPhone 15: Nothing.
It always astounds me the amount of people that come to MacRumours to shoot down rumours. It's not MacPeerReviewedFacts, you do know that right?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
15 months ago

How is this going to work with cases? With gloves in the winter?
Introducing Apple Finger Cots. (Exclusively made for the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max) Available: September 2023.

No more gloves. But you will be needing this. It's much more efficient! They are very popular in Asian markets.

Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
15 months ago

This is like how car manufacturers replaced actual tactile buttons with touch sensitive controls which make them difficult to use while driving. I hope they keep the buttons.
100% Agree. I honestly prefer classic iPhone 4/4S buttons. They look simple and elegant. Not really a fan of Buttonless design. It reminds me of Touch Bar.

Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....
iphone reasons to upgrade

Apple Outlines 'Reasons to Upgrade' Your iPhone on New Website

Monday March 25, 2024 12:53 pm PDT by
Apple today added a "Why Upgrade" section to its website, which is aimed at encouraging customers with older iPhones to upgrade to a newer model. The website allows customers to compare the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max to the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max. Each comparison shows what new features someone with an older...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...