Once again there is evidence that the iPhone 15 Pro will no longer have physical, traditional buttons. Currently, the iPhone still has a side button and two volume buttons that you can physically press, but that may change. There have been indications of this before. 
Update 20 March 2023: Schematic CAD drawings would show what the new buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will look like. On the drawing we see a single button for both volume up and down, as well as a button instead of a switch for the mute function. Recently, there have been rumors about renewed buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro models and this drawing would be proof. It's unclear what the benefit of the new single volume knob is. On current iPhones, you can easily turn the volume up or down by feel, by feeling which button you need. With a single button for both louder and softer, this is more difficult.
In addition, the side switch on the iPhone 15 Pro models is exchanged for a button, as shown in the drawings. So instead of flipping the switch to silence the iPhone, you would have to press a button. The advantage of the switch is that you can easily see in which position it is from the outside thanks to the orange stripe. With a single button this is a lot more difficult, although Apple may have found a solution.
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The buttons!
Source in video pic.twitter.com/sxy9GaNCre— ShrimpApplePro 🍤 (@VNchocoTaco) March 20, 2023
The buttons are expected to be solid state, which means that you can't physically press them, but that the click feeling is simulated by the vibration motor in the iPhone itself. Apple may be able to make it clear with different vibrations what exactly happens when you press the button. The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus still seem to have the familiar buttons and switch.
Update 11 January 2023: Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterates today that the iPhone 15 Pro models will be equipped with solid state buttons that cannot be pressed. Other more expensive devices may follow later. Kuo indicates in a series of tweets that the iPhone 15 Pro will be equipped with two additional Taptic Engines that provide haptic feedback when the buttons are pressed. However, the buttons do not move.
Below is our previous article from November 24, 2022.
Nowadays, the iPhone already has fewer buttons than before, but the other buttons as you know them now may change with the iPhone 15 Pro. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously claimed the same and that the iPhone 15 Pro will be the first iPhone without physical buttons. Now there's an iPhone parts supplier hinting at that too. An iPhone without physical buttons can have several advantages, but it will probably take some getting used to.
‘No physical buttons on iPhone 15 Pro’
Cirrus Logic is the supplier of a certain type of chip in the iPhone. In a letter to investors, the supplier says that they will make a new HPMS component for smartphones that will be released next year. HPMS is the type of chip that controls the Taptic Engine in the iPhone. The physical buttons would make way for versions that are comparable to those of the home button in, for example, the recent iPhone SE models. The click feeling of the buttons is simulated there by the vibration motor. If the iPhone is completely off, the home button cannot be pressed. So the feeling of a real button is there, but without moving parts. Analysts at Barclays believe that the new part of Cirrus Logic is part of the extra Taptic Engines needed to simulate the click feel of the buttons.
Earlier it was the reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who claimed the same. According to Kuo, two high-end models will get three vibration motors next year, which Apple calls the Taptic Engine. It is therefore plausible that it concerns the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. All current iPhones have one Taptic Engine. This vibrating motor can make vibrations quite accurately that are well adapted to the situation. For example, keyboard feedback can vibrate briefly and softly, while with an NL-Alert you feel a strong reaction from this vibration motor.
The two new Taptic Engines would be placed at the top left and top right, at the height of where you now also volume buttons and the side button. We expect these to be smaller engines than the Taptic Engine at the bottom of the device. This takes up a relatively large amount of space and the buttons on the side also require less vibration.
Advantages of non-moving buttons
Apple has previously replaced a physical button with a so-called solid state button, or a button that does not move. The iPhone 7 no longer had a moving home button. Instead, you feel a vibration from the Taptic Engine to mimic a feeling of pressure. This has several advantages, namely:
- Fewer moving parts means less breakage.
- The strength of the vibration can be adjusted by the user (using the function Choose your click).
- Without a moving button, water resistance is promoted.
The iPhone SE is the only iPhone to still have a simulated push button used.
It could be that Apple gives the buttons more functions than what you are used to now. The sensors are going to sense you put a finger on them, so they probably also have the ability to detect swipes. We think of swiping to turn your volume up or down, but with a different movement you might even be able to control your music.
We'll have to wait a while before we know for sure whether this rumor is true. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will most likely not be announced until September 2023. Enough time to get used to the idea. Also see our article with Apple products in 2023 (expectations).
See also 
Apple products in 2023: these are our expectations!
What products will Apple release in 2023? We broadly share our expectations for the new Apple products that will appear in 2023!
Revision history:
- 2023 – March 20, 5:33 PM: Updated article with new image of possible new buttons.