Render of a possible iPhone with solid-state buttons
A new rumor says that Apple has not forgotten the idea of solid-state buttons for the iPhone, but there are a number of issues to solve before it can happen.
Before the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023, there were many, many rumors about it having a solid-state button. That would mean that instead of physical buttons like the volume control, it would have touch-sensitive areas that gave haptic feedback so that they felt like real buttons.
That didn’t happen with the iPhone 15 Pro, or the iPhone 16 Pro, nor is it now expected with the iPhone 17 Pro. However, a solid-state button should be more reliable than a physical one and, even if only fractionally, they would require less space within an iPhone.
Then Apple has also been said to want to remove the USB-C charging port in favor of only wireless charging. With no charging port and no moving buttons, only the speakers would prevent such an iPhone from being completely sealed and waterproof.
But the solid-state buttons must be both reliable and feel like physical ones. And according to a new leak by Instant Digital, Apple has not moved to solid state buttons because the technology is currently failing on both counts.
Instant Digital says (in translation on Weibo) that Apple is “is still adjusting the tactile design of solid-state keys and their reliability after long-term use.” The leaker also says that there is a “problem of false touch,” and that “the responsiveness cannot be perfectly guaranteed.”
Given this, the leaker says that Project Bongo, as it was known internally at Apple, has been shelved. It’s claimed that Apple currently believes it is better to invest in display and battery technology.
So no iPhone is expected to switch to solid-state buttons soon.
The closest Apple has come so far is with the introduction of the Camera Control on the iPhone 16 range. But even though that is a touch-sensitive button, it’s still predominantly a mechanical one.
Note that Instant Digital has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple leaks. The accuracy of his or her most recent claim — that an all-glass Apple Watch is coming — can’t be known yet.
Yet Instant Digital was right about the camera control button on the iPhone 16 range.
