the iPhone 15 Pro no longer has buttons
The iPhone 15 Pro no longer has physical buttons, but has buttons that you can only ‘feel’. iPhoned explains why this is bad news.
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According to MacRumors, the iPhone 15 Pro will no longer have buttons that you can physically press, but Apple will switch to buttons that vibrate when you press them. We already know this from the home button of the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone SE 2022.
The new iPhones get a few extra vibration motors, also called Taptic Engines. These Taptic Engines ensure that the place where the ‘buttons’ are located vibrate when you press them. For example, it feels like you are pressing a button, but in reality there is no physical button anymore.
Advantages: water resistant and less fragile
Apple is removing the physical buttons for several reasons. The main benefit: the iPhone 15 Pro is more water resistant without physical buttons. Water can sometimes get into the iPhone with physical buttons, but this is no longer possible with the new special buttons.
This advantage does not only apply to water, dust also finds its way into the device less quickly. In addition, this also means that the iPhone is sturdier: the loose buttons can break off or become more unstable, especially after a long period of intensive use. This risk disappears with the removal of the physical buttons.
The disappearance of the physical buttons is of course also accompanied by a number of disadvantages. To give the buttons a vibration function, an extra vibration motor must be added to the iPhone. Now Apple’s smartphone has only one such Taptic Engine. It is still unclear exactly what this will do to the price. It is expected – especially with the other new functions – that the price of the iPhone 15 Pro will rise again.
Another disadvantage if Apple does indeed opt for these types of buttons: you can only use the buttons when you touch them with your finger. Do you ever turn up your music while your iPhone is still in your pocket? This will soon no longer be possible, because the iPhone will no longer recognize your finger because of the material that is in between. The same problem applies when you’re wearing gloves: you can’t turn on your phone without taking off your gloves first.
So the special buttons have both advantages and disadvantages. Not a fan of the new buttons? Fortunately, the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus will probably keep the physical buttons.
Whether the rumors will become reality remains to be seen, a few years ago there was also talk of an Apple Watch without buttons. This never happened, so maybe this idea will stay for a while.
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