iPhone 15 Models May Go Buttonless With New Design Revamp For 2023

It's common knowledge that the past few generations of iPhones have largely received iterative updates in terms of design and features. The latest iPhone models, for example, still follow the design template Apple introduced with the iPhone X lineup back in 2018. While there have been minor changes to the design of the camera module over the past four generations of iPhones, the overall silhouette of iPhones remains the same — and is now nearly half a decade old. With sales of iPhones showing little signs of slowing down, there was no incentive for Apple to mess around with a tried-and-tested successful design template. However, this status quo could change as early as next year if we are to believe the latest reports coming in from a trusted Apple analyst.

In a recent Twitter thread, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made several claims about the future iPhones — especially the iPhone 15 lineup expected to launch in 2023. According to Kuo, Apple intends to make significant changes to the design of the iPhone in 2023. He also added that the premium iPhone variants for 2023 could go completely buttonless — with these devices getting rid of all of their physical buttons in favor of static buttons with haptic feedback. The iPhone 15 Pro and the Pro Max models could, therefore, end up the first iPhone models to go buttonless. In addition to these changes, Apple could also equip these models with USB-C ports, making the transition from its proprietary lightning port to USB-C complete.

The iPhone 14 lineup may have launched less than two months ago, but things have been heating up as far as iPhone 15-related rumors are concerned. Recent reports (via TrendForce) have indicated that the next-gen iPhones could follow the same chip strategy as this year, with only the higher-priced variants getting the rumored Apple A17 Bionic chip. Another new feature of the iPhone 15 next year could be the addition of a periscope telephoto lens, allowing Apple to increase the zoom range on these devices.

Coming back to Ming-Chi Kuo's claims, it is pertinent to note that the iPhone 15 models that would go buttonless would still get pressure-sensitive areas on the side panels. These panels will mimic the feel of physical buttons using Apple's advanced Taptic Engine technology. Like current-generation iPhones, iPhone 15 users can use these capacitive buttons to control the system volume and even power on/off the device. Should Apple implement these design changes, the makers of vibration motors for Apple's Taptic Engine stand to make significant gains. Kuo, in his tweet, claims that these manufacturers could see anywhere between an 80% to 100% increase in the shipments of vibrator motors.