Apple still wants an iPhone without physical buttons, but it won't happen soon

AppleInsider

A new rumor says that Apple has not forgotten the idea of solid-state buttons for the iPhone, but there are a number of issues to solve before it can happen.

Render of a possible iPhone with solid-state buttons

Before the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023, there were many, many rumors about it having a solid-state button. That would mean that instead of physical buttons like the volume control, it would have touch-sensitive areas that gave haptic feedback so that they felt like real buttons.

That didn't happen with the iPhone 15 Pro, or the iPhone 16 Pro, nor is it now expected with the iPhone 17 Pro. However, a solid-state button should be more reliable than a physical one and, even if only fractionally, they would require less space within an iPhone.

Then Apple has also been said to want to remove the USB-C charging port in favor of only wireless charging. With no charging port and no moving buttons, only the speakers would prevent such an iPhone from being completely sealed and waterproof.

But the solid-state buttons must be both reliable and feel like physical ones. And according to a new leak by Instant Digital, Apple has not moved to solid state buttons because the technology is currently failing on both counts.

Instant Digital says (in translation on Weibo) that Apple is "is still adjusting the tactile design of solid-state keys and their reliability after long-term use." The leaker also says that there is a "problem of false touch," and that "the responsiveness cannot be perfectly guaranteed."

Given this, the leaker says that Project Bongo, as it was known internally at Apple, has been shelved. It's claimed that Apple currently believes it is better to invest in display and battery technology.

So no iPhone is expected to switch to solid-state buttons soon.

The closest Apple has come so far is with the introduction of the Camera Control on the iPhone 16 range. But even though that is a touch-sensitive button, it's still predominantly a mechanical one.

Note that Instant Digital has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple leaks. The accuracy of his or her most recent claim -- that an all-glass Apple Watch is coming -- can't be known yet.

Yet Instant Digital was right about the camera control button on the iPhone 16 range.

Rumor Score: Possible

Read on AppleInsider

www1111222

Fake buttons are awful, they did an awful job with the touch ID button.  The fake click from the taptic engine didn't resemble the actual sensation of a real one.

danox

Apple pursuits in this area are just long range iteration physical buttons will go the way of the dodo in many future products in the electronic area. It’s inevitable and it’s no surprise that Apple is doing on going research on that in the back labs…. Apple doesn't want to end up like Kodak Xerox, Intel, Motorola of Schaumburg, Illinois, or IBM.

edited April 2

mpantone

This is a pretty bad idea and Apple should know this.

I believe the original iPod touch had no physical volume control buttons. You had to press the home button and use a volume slider on screen to adjust volume. They added physical volume control buttons in the next version which eliminated this inconvenience. 

Now I can see them replacing the physical rocker switch with some sort of conductive pad/slider with haptic feedback. But I just don't see how they can eliminate buttons completely. Not sure how vision impaired users feel about this suspect rumor.

If my phone and hands are in my pocket, there's no reason why I should have to pull my phone out just to adjust the volume. And even with my AirPods Pro 2 earbuds, I know one can adjust the volume by fiddling around with the stem but it's awkward, particularly while wearing gloves.

With a physical volume rocker, gloves are a non-issue even if they are ordinary ones without the conductive threads in the fingertips.

yyzguy

www1111222 said:

Fake buttons are awful, they did an awful job with the touch ID button.  The fake click from the taptic engine didn't resemble the actual sensation of a real one.

On the flip side, the haptic touch pads on the MacBooks feel amazingly real.   I had to power down the MacBook to verify that indeed it is not mechanical.  Touch ID haptic home buttons on the phones never did feel as good as the real mechanical ones did.  I’m typing this on an iPad mini 7 and the Touch ID power button is definitely mechanical and I like it that way.  I really wish it was available on a modern phone.  I’ve never understood their obsession with fake buttons though (or sacrificing battery life for thinness, but that’s a whole different thing)