Last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple would ditch physical buttons for “two advanced iPhones,” widening the gap between professional and non-pro phones in 2023. Now a second source corroborates the report — albeit with a little reading between the lines to get to the bottom line. Same result.
This time, it’s the Barclays analysts who are basing their predictions on comments made by Cirrus Logic at Message to shareholders (Opens in a new tab) Then more recently Earnings call (Opens in a new tab). For context: Cirrus Logic is responsible for a lot of the haptic technology currently powering iPhones, which is presumably necessary for the iPhone 15 Pro to operate without buttons.
As I spotted it Mac rumors (Opens in a new tab)The letter stated that the company aims to “introduce a new HPMS component in smartphones in the next year.” HPMS stands for High Performance Mixed Signal, and the company’s current components include haptic engines that power the iPhone’s Taptic Engine.
However, “next year” is a large window, and the earnings call narrowed it down to “the back half of next year.” Notably, this falls in line with the usual September release date for Apple iPhones, which is when we fully expect the iPhone 15 family to debut.
These two data points were jumped on by Barclays’ Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley. Recognizing that “the company didn’t say much here,” the analysts nonetheless concluded that this component will most likely be part of the touch buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro.
“When looking at the potential use cases, the biggest change for next year’s new iPhone models is the removal of the buttons, which requires additional drivers for the touch engine, making it the most likely use case for the new content,” the analysts wrote.
touch issue
While, personally, I’m a big fan of physical buttons and their tactile click, there are undoubtedly two advantages to fully embracing touch. Having fewer moving parts means that wear and tear is less significant, and most importantly, it makes devices less at risk of water damage by reducing the number of weak spots.
But if Apple is only considering it for the iPhone 15 Pro, as suggested here and by Ming-Chi Kuo, perhaps we can consider it more from an aesthetic point of view. Just as Dynamic Island – an iPhone 14 Pro exclusive feature – has a stylish look, but doesn’t offer much in terms of practicality, I think the tactile buttons will be a similar way to show ownership of the coveted iPhone 15 Pro.
Not that there wouldn’t be more practical reasons to go to the professionals. We fully expect other perks like the faster chipset, 120Hz display, and better camera system to still be there in 2023. But for some, having the best iPhone is as much a fashion statement as it is about specs, and the tactile buttons will make that statement even more noticeable.
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