Leaker: Solid-State buttons for the iPhone not yet off table

Apple has long been trying to replace mechanical operating components in its products with immobile parts that have pressure sensors. The advantage: An iPhone, for example, can be sealed better and at the same time you are more flexible in the redesign of the functions. Before the iPhone 15 Pro was released, it said in 2023 that the buttons on the model will be completely “solid state”.

Tactile feedback will be available via Apple’s vibration engine, the Taptic Engine, as you know it from the Mac trackpad. Alone: ​​nothing came of it. Also with the successor iPhone 16, everything remained mechanically – despite the rumors of the rumors. The technology had proven to be too expensive and complex. But it is obviously not completely off the table: a leaker from China claims that.

Technical problems

The person with the handle Instant digitalwhich has been correct in the past, claims Apple further experiment with technology. According to his information, Apple mainly has problems with the technology, less with the financing. There are “misdirections”, the correct answer of the hardware is still not guaranteed.

The project, which is supposed to carry the code name “Bongo”, promises various new features, such as the possibility to trigger a different function with a gentle pressure than with a fixed. The project should be “on hold” internally, but it will continue to be researched. However, implementation is not to be expected for the iPhone 17, the rumor mill says.

Can you trust solid state?

Apple intended to carry out all buttons of the iPhone in Solid-State Technology. These would also have been the switch -on button and the volume buttons. The company had to come up with extra technical tricks on how the buttons can also be operated with gloves-and it is ensured that an iPhone really gets into the switch-off mode.

Because without mechanical feedback, the user has no control over this. Meanwhile, Apple has developed a capacitive solution with the camera control in the iPhone 16. However, the technology is significantly less progressive than what Apple actually planned.