these patents confirm new iPhone 15 features
Apple has filed two new patents revealing a number of iPhone 15 features. What new features are coming to the new iPhone?
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iPhone 15 features leaked through patents
There have been rumors for months about what the new iPhone 15 will look like and what functions will come to the new phone. So far it has mainly remained with rumors, of which you can never be sure whether there is a grain of truth in it. This is a different story with patents. When Apple files a patent, it is often the first indication that the company is actually working on something.
Read also: Don’t blink: iPhone 15 Pro screen can be even brighter
That is precisely why the two patents that Apple recently filed are very interesting. The two patents almost certainly confirm new iPhone 15 functions, which have been rumored for some time. What iPhone 15 features are concerned?
The first patent is about the buttons of the new iPhone 15. Earlier rumors predicted it: the iPhone 15 will no longer have real buttons. Instead, the new iPhone gets buttons that vibrate when you ‘press’ them. As a result, it feels like you are pressing the buttons, while in reality that is not the case.
The iPhone 15 uses special vibration motors to give you the feeling of pressing the button. Apple also did this with the home button of the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone SE 2022. And you also see it with the trackpad of the MacBook Air 2022, among others. By removing the physical buttons, the iPhone is even better protected against water and dust.
The – now approved – patent from Apple does indeed describe what the rumors already said. This almost certainly confirms these rumors: the iPhone 15 will indeed no longer have physical buttons.
Also read: The iPhone 15 has no physical buttons – and that’s good news
Interesting detail with the patent: on the submitted design, the new ‘vibrating’ button is also placed on the spot of the home button. Apple has been working on a Touch ID sensor placed under the screen for some time, which could explain the placement of the new button. The Touch ID sensor then vibrates, just like the new iPhone 15 buttons, when the iPhone is unlocked.
Second patent describes foldable phone
The second patent that Apple has filed is also about the buttons that use the Taptic Engines. The interesting thing about this patent is that Apple specifically describes how the new buttons can be incorporated into a device with a foldable screen. So it seems very likely that Apple is working on a device that can bend a screen, possibly a MacBook or an iPad Fold.
In this patent, Apple also describes how the Haptic Touch buttons look on a device with rounded edges. Earlier it became clear that the iPhone 15 will get a completely new design. This design has thinner rounded edges. The new patent may indicate that the screen of the iPhone 15 (or later) extends to the edges. As a result, the Haptic Touch buttons are in the screen on the side of the device.
All iPhone 15 rumors in one place
Do you want to know more about all iPhone 15 functions? We previously listed all the rumors about the iPhone 15 and everything we know about the iPhone 15 Ultra so far for you. Are you curious how expensive the iPhone 15 Pro will be? Then check the price of the possibly most expensive iPhone ever.
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