Apple suppliers indicate that iPhone 15 Pro will use solid-state touch volume / power buttons

CTOnews.com, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) according to research firm Barclays, Apple supplier Cirrus Logic may have vaguely hinted that the iPhone 15 Pro model will use solid-state touch buttons next year.

In a letter to shareholders this month, the Texas-based semiconductor company said it continued to "engage with a strategic customer" and expected to "launch a new HPMS component in smartphones next year". HPMS refers to Cirrus Logic's high-performance mixed-signal chips, including the tactile driver of Taptic Engine in iPhone phones.

In an earnings call with analysts this month, Cirrus Logic CEO John Forsyth narrowed the time frame for the new component to "the second half of next year," which will be in line with the iPhone 15 series, which will be launched in September.

Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley said in an investor note last week that the new component mentioned by Cirrus Logic is likely to be part of the additional Taptic Engine of tactile buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro. "when studying potential use cases, the biggest change in next year's new iPhone model is the elimination of physical buttons, which will require additional drivers for Taptic Engine, making it the most likely new use case."

CTOnews.com learned that Guo Mingyi, a well-known Apple analyst, said in October that the iPhone 15 Pro model would use solid-state volume and power buttons. The devices will be equipped with two additional Taptic Engine that provide tactile feedback to simulate the feeling of pressing a key without requiring them to physically move, similar to the Home button on the recent iPhone SE model or the Force Touch trackpad on the newer MacBook, Guo said.

Touch buttons on the iPhone provide better water resistance and will eliminate the potential for wear or damage to moving parts over time. However, the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are still expected to use mechanical buttons.