Apple usually releases its new iPhone models around September every year, and in the leadup to the date, rumours swirl about its design and features. And they’ve already started for the 2023 range of new phones, presumed to be the base iPhone 15, an iPhone 15 Max, an iPhone 15 Pro and an iPhone 15 Pro Max, which might be called iPhone 15 Ultra.
The latest rumour has to do with the volume button. In a Medium post, respected Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that due to unresolved technical issues before mass production, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max would not have solid-state volume buttons, as had been reported since October 2022. Instead, both models would be reverting to the traditional physical button design.
If you’re wondering what a “solid-state volume button” is, it’s a button that doesn’t press inwards, but instead uses a haptic mechanism to mimic the feel of a click in response to pressure and skin contact. This new report says the approach was proving difficult to execute.
Looks like iPhone 15 Pro will give up conventional buttons for these new unified haptic volume buttons and mute button. Could be customizable with swipe gestures! pic.twitter.com/dOj6KRbAES
— Ian Zelbo (@ianzelbo) April 10, 2023
In Kuo’s post, he wrote that investors had anticipated the new solid-state button design would increase suppliers’ revenues and profits. He also said that because the iPhone 15 Pro is in its development stage, there was still time to modify the design — though, reading between the lines, that could mean Apple might also add the solid-state button back in.
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“[…] removing the solid-state buttons and restoring physical buttons will simplify the development and testing process,” Kuo writes. Macworld reports that when the solid-state volume button was reported, the publication had called it “odd” and “weird” at the time, pointing out several issues.
Previous iPhone 15 leaks have said though the new models will generally look mostly like the iPhone 14 range, the iPhone 15 Pro will get the most significant upgrade from its predecessor. The phone will feature a titanium casing with a rounder-edge design, a thicker camera bump with a protruding lens, and a new sensor technology that’ll capture more light and reduce overexposure or underexposure in certain settings, reports 9to5Mac.
The iPhone 15 Pro will reportedly be available in a dark RED color 😮💨
Would you pick this color? pic.twitter.com/fAlrapUGFn
— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) February 26, 2023
The publication also says an unnamed source has told it the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max could come in a new dark red colour that’s close to a burgundy shade. This will be in addition to the previously-launched (PRODUCT)RED colour, and existing colour range.
Twitter users IceUniverse has predicted the iPhone 15 Pro Max will break records for its new, super-thing bezel (the border between the screen and frame), sized 1.55mm, significantly thinner than the current iPhone 14 Pro Max, which has a 2.17mm bezel.
iPhone 15 Pro Max will break the record of 1.81mm bezel black edge held by Xiaomi 13, and we measure that its cover plate black bezel width is only 1.55 mm.（S22 and S23 ≈1.95mm，iPhone 14 Pro 2.17mm） pic.twitter.com/9TBrVCGSCo
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) March 17, 2023
It’s also being reported the Lightning port, which Apple has used since 2021, will be replaced with USB-C charging, likely to comply with a new European Union law that stated that by the end of 2024, all mobile phones sold in the EU had to be equipped with USB-C charging ports.
“Obviously we’ll have to comply, we have no choice,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, had said when asked about the new law at a conference in October 2022.
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