Over the years, we’ve heard several rumors about a portless or buttonless iPhone. However, with the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple ditched the mute switch for an Action Button, and now, with the iPhone 16, the company has added a new Camera Control.
Not only is the company increasing the number of buttons it offers, but it also seems this is its new design language, stepping away from the minimalistic approach offered by Apple’s former design chief, Jony Ives.
So where does that leave the rumored buttonless iPhone? Here’s what we know.
Did Apple scrap buttonless iPhones for good?
For the past two years, rumors about Apple ditching physical power and volume buttons have surfaced online. However, Apple has moved away from capacitive buttons. Only the new Camera Control feature combines a button with haptic feedback.
Still, if leakers and analysts have been so sure that capacitive buttons would come to the iPhone for the past two years, Apple must have at least been testing them, right?
When iOS 18 was released, BGR noted that Apple even added a new tweak when pressing buttons, which mixes your physical press with an animation on the screen. This led us to believe that an iPhone with solid-state buttons was on the horizon. However, with the iPhone 16 release, all the buttons were the same.
In July, analyst Jeff Pu said it was unlikely that the upcoming iPhones would feature solid-state buttons due to “unresolved technical issues before mass production.” With that in mind, we still have to wait to see if the company plans to start working on this technology again or if it has been scrapped for good.
There’s a sketchy rumor that Apple plans to revamp the Action Button and Volume Buttons for the iPhone 17 Pro. A few days ago, we also learned that Apple planned various changes for the iPhone buttons that didn’t pan out during the prototyping stages.
Apple reportedly wanted a larger Action Button that would combine the capabilities of Camera Control (Project Atlas) and a unified Volume button (Project Bongo). While Apple had to kill those plans, they could always resurface with another release on the horizon.
Wrap up
Adding solid-state buttons would help fulfill Apple’s dream of a buttonless and, eventually, portless iPhone. Without physical buttons, there would be fewer chances the iPhone would break, and it would also improve water and dust resistance.
With the new Camera Control technology, Apple could revamp iPhone buttons with Camera Control-like capabilities in future versions. Still, only time will tell.
