The iPhone 15 Pro’s Solid-State Buttons Are Not Coming, This Time for Sure

The existence of solid-state buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro has become akin to a legendary myth - their reality remains in question. Earlier reports suggested that the new technology would be featured in the Pro iPhones this year. However, technical difficulties halted the process, seemingly signaling the death of the solid-state buttons. Now, confirmation of their absence seems imminent, as a major Apple supplier has hinted that the feature won't be included in the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models.

Apple Supplier Seemingly Confirms the Death of Solid-State Buttons

Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has seemingly confirmed in a shareholder letter that the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models will no longer feature solid-state buttons. The letter mentioned that a new product that was previously scheduled for introduction this fall will not come to market as planned. This news confirms rumors that had been circulating in recent weeks, which claimed that the new iPhones would not have solid-state buttons.

Cirrus Logic's high-performance, mixed-signal (HPMS) segment includes haptic drivers for the Taptic Engine in iPhones, and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously suggested that the iPhone 15 Pro would feature two additional Taptic Engines to provide haptic feedback when the solid-state buttons were pressed. However, the supplier's recent statement has now removed any doubt about the cancellation of the rumored feature.

Cirrus Logic, Apple's largest supplier, accounted for 79% of its revenue in the 2022 fiscal year. Barclays analysts, Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley suggest that the supplier's recent comments rule out the possibility of solid-state buttons.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously mentioned that the solid-state buttons would not be featured in the upcoming iPhones due to unresolved technical issues, and instead, traditional buttons would be used.

However, rumors still suggest that the Ring/Silent switch could be replaced with a customizable button, similar to the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra. Apple analyst Jeff Pu believes that solid-state buttons could be delayed to the iPhone 16 Pro models launching next year.

Despite this, the limited knowledge of Apple's future plans by Cirrus Logic raises uncertainty about whether the feature will be reintroduced in the future.

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