An early rumor says the “Capture Button.” The button, codenamed “Project Nova,” is likely to be one of the top-selling points of the 2024 iPhone, that is if it makes it through testing.
According to MacRumors, the Capture Button will be on the same side of the handset as the Power button, but positioned lower, somewhere near where the current mmWave cutout sits on this year’s iPhone 15 lineup. As for the mmWave cutout, it will be moved to the side of the iPhone beneath the volume buttons. The rumor does not say what the new capacitive button will be used for.
The Capture Button is expected to be a capacitive button rather than a standard mechanical one. Capacitive buttons, unlike mechanical buttons, do not move when pressed down. Instead, the button detects pressure and touch, providing haptic feedback through the use of haptic engines. The buttons are expected to work similarly to the Home Button on the iPhone SE, which mimics the press of a physical button through the built-in Taptic Engine. According to our sources, the capacitive buttons will feature force sensor functionality. Force sensors detect applied force, and convert the magnitude of force into electrical signals.
There were numerous rumors of capacitive power and volume buttons for this year’s iPhone 15 Pro models, yet the buttons did not make the cut. as the feature was canceled during development, due to multiple hardware issues.
The Capture Button is expected to be available across the entire iPhone 16 lineup, instead of being limited to the Pro models like power and volume buttons were expected to be. The report says Apple is not taking any chances with the capacitive buttons, as it also has a configuration lacking the Capture Button if testing is not successful.
The iPhone 16 lineup is also expected to boast a capacitive Action Button, codenamed “Project Atlas.” The haptic reportedly uses a design similar to the Capture Button.
The base model iPhone 16 is also expected to be equipped with a revamped camera bump and a camera arrangement similar to the iPhone 12. The Pro models are also said to feature a larger display, growing from 6.1″ and 6.7″ to 6.3″ and 6.9″, respectively.
On Sunday, Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will both use the same tetraprism lens that is used by the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Keep in mind that this is all gristle for the rumor grinder, and since it is VERY early in the iPhone 16 rumor cycle, we’re likely to see several conflicting rumors between now and September 2024. Keep your sodium-free seasoning shakers at the ready.