The iPhone 15 Pro could have three Taptic Engines instead of one as Apple is rumored to adopt a buttonless design ahead of a potential no-port iPhone.
- What is happening? Apple’s iPhone 15 is expected to feature solid-state power and volume buttons, with physical presses emulated by Taptic Engines.
- Why care? If Apple does use a buttonless design on the iPhone 15 series, then a device without a port may arrive at some point in the future.
- What to do? Relax, Mac trackpads already mimic physical clicks and the effect works like Magic™. The Apple Taptic Engine delivers believable haptic feedback by simulating the feel and feel of pressing and pressing a physical button.
Why the iPhone 15 can use three Taptic Engines
A prediction calling for a buttonless iPhone 15 Pro design with multiple Taptic Engines to mimic physical clicks comes from trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The analyst predicted on Twitter that Apple will use its expertise in making precision vibration motors for the iPhone to get rid of the physical buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro models. There will still be volume buttons on the left side and a power button on the right side, but they won’t be physically pressed when pressed.
Instead, Kuo predicts that Apple will equip iPhone 15 Pro models with solid-state volume and power buttons. Kuo says that to simulate button presses, Apple will use special Taptic Engines on the left and right to provide haptic feedback.
Buttonless design paves the way for iPhone without a port
These tiny vibrators will come in addition to the main Taptic Engine, which is tasked with creating haptic feedback throughout the system. In other words, the number of Taptic Engines in the next iPhone could increase from one to three.
“My latest survey indicates that the volume button and power button of two high-end iPhone 15 models could have a solid button design similar to that of the iPhone 7, 8, SE 2 and 3 home button to replace the mechanical button,” writes He.
Solid-state buttons can also improve water resistance as they can take up less space inside the case. Kuo expects the Taptic Engine’s annual production to double in 2023 thanks to the supposed buttonless design of the iPhone 15.
Force Touch trackpads also mimic physical clicks.
This will work just like the solid-state home button that Apple first introduced with the iPhone 7. On the iPhone 7, the home button is not physically pressed when force is applied to it. Instead, the iPhone 7’s Taptic Engine (located below the Home button) vibrates, giving the impression of a physical button being pressed.
The same effect is used on Apple’s Force Touch trackpads, which can be found on Mac laptops – while the entire trackpad appears to be pressed when pressed, you actually feel subtle vibrations that indicate a physical press.
To sum it up, the iPhone 15 Pro buttonless design rumors could be the start of a new industry trend as Kuo expects Android makers to follow in Apple’s footsteps and adopt buttonless designs for their high-end phones.
What about the silent switch?
If Kuo’s prediction is correct, the only button left to do is to get rid of the ring/silent switch. Kuo said nothing about the fate of the silent switch. Assuming Apple could easily replace it with a long press Taptic button.
An even better idea: get rid of the silent switch. This thing can fail due to the ingress of dirt and dust. Also, Apple has been taking this approach on the iPad for years, so it’s definitely a tried and tested design. Why do you need an entire button just to silence the call when you can do the same with Control Center?