Analyst Jeff Pu says there is a “low” chance that next year’s iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models will be equipped with solid-state volume and mute buttons. Pu is a tech analyst at Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities.
Pu shared this prediction in a research note on Thursday, alongside details about this year’s iPhone 15 lineup.
Solid-state buttons had been a rumored feature for iPhone 15 Pro models, but Apple reportedly canceled its inclusion due to “unresolved technical issues before mass production” reverting to mechanical buttons.
Pu previously said the solid-state buttons would be postponed until iPhone 16 Pro models, but he now believes even those devices are unlikely to have them.
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic had hinted at the solid-state buttons for the iPhone in a shareholder letter last year, but seemingly confirmed the plans had been scrapped in May.
Solid-state buttons on iPhones could lead to better water resistance while eliminating moving parts that can wear out or break over time. Solid-state buttons do not move when pressed. Instead an iPhone would have used its Taptic Engines to provide haptic feedback to simulate the feeling of movement, similar to the Home button introduced with the iPhone 7 and the Force Touch trackpad on newer MacBooks.
With a solid-state design, the buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro would not have moved when pressed. Instead, it was rumored that two additional Taptic Engines inside the iPhone would have provided haptic feedback to simulate the feeling of movement, similar to the Home button introduced with the iPhone 7 and the Force Touch trackpad on newer MacBooks.
iPhone 16 Pro models are still over a year away from launch, so you should always take reports such as this with a grain of your favorite salt substitute.