The iPhone 16 could arrive later this year with capacitive buttons instead of physical buttons on either side of the phone, according to a Taiwanese news publication. The United Daily News reports that Apple could equip the alleged iPhone 16 series with buttons capable of providing haptic feedback when touched, emulating the feeling of pressing a physical button. The company was previously rumored to equip the iPhone 15 lineup with capacitive buttons, but it reportedly dropped the plans last year.
According to the report (in Chinese), Apple has ordered capacitive button components from Taiwan-based supplier Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE). The company is reportedly planning to replace the iPhone 15's physical volume and power buttons, with a new set of touch-responsive capacitive buttons with haptic feedback, which could arrive with the iPhone 16 series.
If the report's claims are true, Apple could equip the iPhone 16 series with a System-in-Package (SiP) module along with capacitive buttons that are paired with two Taptic (haptic) motor motors. This will allow the iPhone to emulate the feeling of pressing a physical button, according to the report.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Apple has proposed to launch an iPhone equipped with capacitive buttons. The company reportedly planned to launch the current-gen iPhone 15 lineup with the advanced buttons, but the phone arrived with mechanical buttons.
Last year, Apple introduced the Action Button, a programmable button that replaced the mute switch on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This button is expected to arrive on non-Pro models this year, while Apple is also rumored to introduce a new “Capture” button centered around the phone's camera.
According to the report, Apple wants the Taiwanese supplier to produce these components in the third quarter of 2024, while the Cupertino company is expected to launch its iPhone 16 series in the third quarter of this year, the company could, instead, postponing the inclusion of capacitive buttons on the iPhone. 17, which is expected to arrive in 2025.
