As early as last year, there were a lot of rumors that the volume and power buttons of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max might abandon the traditional mechanical structure and change to a capacitive design similar to the home button of the iPhone 7, but it did not end up in mass production.
However, there was also news recently that the design could appear on the new iPhone 16 series this year. According to Taiwanese media "Economic Daily", Apple has ordered a large number of capacitive button system-in-package (SiP) modules from supplier ASE ASE.
These SoC modules are designed to integrate components such as capacitive buttons and Taptic Engine motors on both sides of the iPhone body. That said, Apple may replace the current physical buttons with capacitive buttons on the iPhone 16 series.
The so-called capacitive button simulates the physical pressure sensation by detecting the pressure and vibration generated by the Taptic Engine motor. In order to enhance the user experience, Apple will also add a second Tapic Engine motor to the iPhone 16 series.
In addition to the possible changes to the volume and power buttons, the other buttons will also be adjusted. First, the Action button, which was exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro series last year, will be devolved to the iPhone 16 base model this year. Secondly, 16 new Capture buttons have been added to all series.
Combined with the previous revelations, the changes in this generation of the iPhone 16 series are: the basic model returns to the rear vertical dual-camera layout, and supports the spatial video shooting function. Powered by an A18 chip, it comes with 8GB of RAM, wired fast charging upgrades to 40W, and 20W MagSafe charging.
The iPhone 16 Pro lineup, on the other hand, will feature larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, with further narrower bezels, and a return to a glossy medium frame and rose gold colorway.
In terms of configuration, it is equipped with the A18 Pro chip, the starting storage is increased to 256GB, supports 40W wired and 20W MagSafe charging, and is equipped with a graphene cooling system. The rear main camera features a 1/1.14-inch IMX903 stacked sensor, and the telephoto lens has been upgraded to 48 million pixels. And on the telephoto end, the Pro is upgraded to a 5X lens, and the Pro Max excludes the new super telephoto.
Overall, the iPhone 16 series still has some surprise upgrades, such as fast charging and cooling, and the main camera finally ushered in a sensor upgrade. There's also the new iOS 18 system, where the first AI features will run on the device, which may mean that only the iPhone 16 series will support it.
As for the capacitive buttons, if the energy is produced this year, maybe it will also become a bright spot. So, are you planning to change to an iPhone 16 this year?