Recently, 9to5mac made new renders of the iPhone 15 Pro based on information sources, details provided by MFi accessory manufacturers, and CAD data. In fact, the renders are comparable to previously leaked drawings, but the new device has two important differences.
Touch Button On iPhone 15 Pro
Apple suppliers have already stated that this year’s iPhone 15 series, particularly the iPhone 15 Pro models, will most likely use solid-state touch buttons. It’s worth noting that the physical mute button has been with the iPhone since its inception.
Both buttons will be solid-state this time, similar to the non-pressable Home button debuting on the iPhone 7. The two built-in Taptic Engine motors will mimic the experience of pressing these two buttons.
In a letter to shareholders, Tim Cook said they are “continuing to work with a strategic customer” and hopes to “introduce a new HPMS component into smartphones this year.” The company’s high-performance mixed-signal semiconductors, including the Taptic Engine haptic driver in the iPhone, are called HPMS.
Taptic Engine
During the company’s earnings call with analysts, the CEO in particular, narrowed down the timeframe for new component launches to “the second half of this year”, roughly in line with Apple’s usual release schedule around September and October.
The new component mentioned by Apple’s supplier is most likely part of the additional Taptic Engine for the tactile buttons used in the iPhone 15 Pro versions. Indeed, there have been predictions that this year’s iPhone 15 series will be the most changed iPhone in recent years, and of course, the design will change too.
In addition to the news that the iPhone 15 series will return to a spherical design, the removal of the physical buttons seems to be a wise decision. However, in order to realize this concept, additional Taptic Engine drivers will have to be provided. Placing large components next to the bezel remains a major challenge for the iPhone’s internal space.
However, Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known analyst, later revealed that Apple had canceled the design and would return to the original physical buttons. According to supply chain sources, the report is genuine, although this technology was delayed and missed the iPhone 15 Pro series, and will continue to be used in later models.
Ming-Chi Kuo went on to explain the specific reasons for this. According to the latest survey, the two high-end iPhone 15 Pro models will abandon the solid-state button design that the market has been paying close attention to and return to the original physical button design due to technological challenges that could not be resolved before mass production.
This functionality is reflected in the updated renders, as are the split physical volume controls on the bezel. At the same time, the iPhone 15 Pro will feature a new mute button that replaces the iPhone’s previous mute switch and adds additional functionality, similar to the Apple Watch Ultra’s action button.
Overall Design
The iPhone 15 series will reportedly feature a titanium alloy body with a curved back bezel instead of the current straight-edge design. This suggests that the iPhone 15 will return to its old circular body shape, but it won’t be as massive as the iPhone X.
The back edge of the iPhone 15 will be rounded, more so than the existing design on the iPhone 14, and comparable to the bottom edge of the lid on the 14-inch MacBook Pro model. Although the iPhone 15 is said to be made of titanium alloy, the back will still be made of glass.
The iPhone 15 Pro series will differ from the standard version in terms of design and hardware stacking, which will have a significant impact on customer choice.
4K Real-time Recording
According to iMore, the two variants of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will offer real-time 4K recording.
By the way, real-time 4K recording means that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can be connected to the monitor via the Thunderbolt port, and the recorded 4K footage is then streamed to the monitor in real time for viewing.
https://twitter.com/analyst941/status/1651396229090234370
As @analyst941 previously revealed that the iPhone will use the Dynamic Island design. This feature seems minor and will not be used much in real life. It is more likely to be used by experienced professional users or creative people. The entire external connection process requires only a Thunderbolt port and no additional equipment, and the output screen ratio is 16:9.
