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We're still far from the next iPhone release, but rumours are already flying around regarding Apple's next smartphone plans. Word on the street is, they're doing away with physical buttons for the upcoming iPhone 15 series, opting instead for capacitive touch buttons.
According to an anonymous post on the MacRumours forum, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max may come with capacitive buttons that can still be triggered while the phone is out of battery or turned off.
These buttons will apparently be powered by a new microprocessor that will be able to sense capacitive button presses and holds. The rumoured capacitive buttons will replace the current physical volume rocker and power button. There will also be an action button, which is currently known as the ringer switch, that can be customized to perform a variety of actions. The capacitive volume buttons can be controlled by force and swipes.
In the same post, the anonymous user mentioned that the microprocessor is a definite addition to the iPhone 15 series and will be focused on managing the device even when it's powered down, including NFC, Bluetooth, Apple Pay, and more.
For now, the poster alleges that the microprocessor is "almost fully definite for iOS 17 and the new Pro model iPhones", but as with all other iPhone 15 rumours, it's hard to say whether any of these features will actually make it to the final release. Guess we'll just have to wait and see!