Apple iPhone 16 could do away with buttons

For a number of years, there have been rumors that Apple plans to remove the physical buttons from its iPhones. According to a recent claim, the iPhone 16—which would include capacitive buttons that provide haptic feedback—might finally bring this about.

According to the Economic Daily News, Apple has placed an order with Taiwanese supplier Advanced Semiconductor Engineering for capacitive button components, which will be integrated with two Taptic Engine motors on each side of the iPhone 16.

By using the taptic engines to detect pressure and provide vibration feedback, the buttons will simulate the sensation of real buttons. This design modification could enhance water and dust resistance and enable a more seamless unibody design.
Apple intended to eliminate physical buttons from the iPhone 15.
There have long been rumors that Apple uses capacitive buttons. Due to unsolved technological issues, the company’s “Project Bongo,” which was supposed to introduce the iPhone 15 series, was canceled last year. With the iPhone 15 series, Apple then went back to using conventional mechanical buttons; however for the Pro versions, a new mechanical “Action Button” was added in place of the mute switch.
According to the rumor, manufacture of the iPhone 16’s capacitive button components is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2024. Nevertheless, a few experts have voiced skepticism, pointing out that the very long manufacturing schedule would force the capacitive buttons onto the 2025 iPhone 17. Apple’s product roadmaps are flexible, as seen by the last-minute redesign of the iPhone 15’s button.

If Apple decides to go with capacitive buttons for the iPhone 16, it would be one of the biggest design changes to the iPhone since the iPhone X did away with the home button in 2017. If customers are unwilling to give up their familiar tactile buttons, the move may cause controversy.
Rumor has claimed that the new “Capture Button” on the iPhone 16 models will be used to swiftly launch the camera app. Furthermore, it is said that the mute switch on non-Pro iPhone 16 models and iPhone 16 Pro models would be replaced with the “Action Button” that is already available on iPhone 15 Pro devices.