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iPhone 16 Pro may have the haptic buttons previously rumored for iPhone 15

Published May 8th, 2023 12:12PM EDT
Dynamic Island animation in use for the Phone app on iPhone 14 Pro.
Image: Apple Inc.

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One scrapped feature for the iPhone 15 Pro will likely arrive with the iPhone 16 Pro release next year. In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman suggested that the haptic buttons, once expected to arrive this year, have the potential to be added to the 2024 flagship iPhone.

While we heard from different sources and analysts that the iPhone 15 Pro would feature haptic buttons with a unified volume button, it’s no longer the case as Apple couldn’t apply this technology for this year, according to the latest rumors.

Now, Mark Gurman is the second reliable source to say the plans have changed to 2024. Recently, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed Apple was holding the solid-state buttons launch for the iPhone 16 Pro due to “unresolved technical issues before mass production.” Now, with Gurman saying Apple was “wavering” this feature due to costs and complexity, he believes it’s “likely” to be included with the following year’s Pro models.

Besides this tweaked design, it was previously rumored that the iPhone 16 Pro could feature a smaller Dynamic Island as Apple was planning to introduce an under-display Face ID technology. Unfortunately, it seems this advanced feature will be reserved for a year later, in 2025, with the iPhone 17 Pro.

With the iPhone 18 Pro – if Apple keeps the name trend – we’ll finally have an all-screen smartphone with all sensors hidden behind the screen. If Apple’s plans don’t get delayed yet again, here’s what to expect from the future iPhone Pro models:

  • 2023: Pill shape
  • 2024: Pill shape
  • 2025: Under panel Face ID + hole
  • 2026: Under panel Face ID: + hole
  • 2027: Under panel face ID + under panel camera

We are still almost 18 months from the release of the iPhone 16 Pro, so much could change until there. In the meantime, the iPhone 15 is coming, and we already have a pretty clear picture of what to expect from Apple’s next flagship phones.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.