A brand new rumor is here, and it claims that Apple is no longer planning to add physical buttons to the iPhone 16 upon its release later this year, one that goes beyond what the iPhone X changed for the device.
However, there would still be the volume buttons, action buttons, and other tangible experiences here, but it would be through new capacitive buttons coming soon.
The familiar Taptic Engine would also play a massive role in giving out vibrations and the "feels" of when pressing a button, with more of it coming to the new smartphone.
Apple to Ditch iPhone 16 Physical Buttons-Rumors
A new supply chain report shared by Economic Daily News revealed that Apple ordered new technology from Advanced Semiconductor Engineering for its move to ditch the physical buttons on the iPhone 16 series.
Rumor has claimed that this latest order focuses on capacitive buttons that will bring a new touch-based button experience to the devices.
It is known that capacitive buttons made their way initially when Apple released the iPhone 7 series in 2016, replacing the clickable, physical Home button, which also included the Touch ID.
These new buttons include a system-in-a-package module that will replace the physical buttons on the iPhone 16, but it was not revealed if it is for the entire lineup or only for the Pro versions.
New Capacitive Buttons, Taptic Engine Coming
That being said, the capacitive buttons would replace the volume up and down buttons, as well as the power button, which would center on a touch-based experience.
There would no longer be any of the crisp clicking sound, but it also means it would be more durable.
Alongside the capacitive buttons, Apple will place two new Taptic Engines that would be on the left and right side of the device, much like how they function under the screen, giving responsive vibration feedback for the touch-based buttons.
Apple's iPhone 16 New Buttons
One of the rumored buttons coming for the iPhone 16 is the 'Capture button,' and it is a dedicated button said to be placed on the right-hand side of the device, a little farther below the power button.
This will enable users to launch the Camera app directly and use it as a shutter to take the images or videos, and this will prove as an alternative to using the volume down button.
Last year's Action button for the iPhone 15 Pro series will also arrive on the upcoming releases but will go further than what people think of, like the Dynamic Island that was available to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, it would also be that way for the iPhone 16.
This means that base variants, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus would see the mute switch slider be replaced by the Action button.
These new button changes will not feature the much-requested feature of putting a Touch ID sensor right on the power button, similar to what other Android smartphones offer.
In the upcoming iPhone 16 series, Apple will upgrade the technology that it failed to do last year, with capacitive buttons and new Taptic Engines to make up for the physical buttons' removal.
