iPhone 16 Rumors Take Interesting Twist

An iPhone 16 design change that appeared to be dead in the water has resurfaced today in a report out of Asia.

According to the Economic Daily News, Apple’s ordered a large number of capacitative button components from a supplier (Advanced Semiconductor Engineering) based in Taiwan.

The site believes these components will be used on the upcoming iPhone 16 series which is odd because we had heard that capacitive buttons wouldn’t make it on board the iPhone 16.

Economic Daily News claims Apple will swap out the iPhone’s physical buttons with new capacitive versions with haptic feedback. These buttons can detect pressure and simulate a physical button press.

The site says shipments are expected to occur in the third quarter of this year.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Apple plans to replace the mechanical versions of the volume and power button with capacitive buttons.

However, previous reports suggested Apple dropped plans to use these components on the iPhone 16 thanks to technical issues behind the scenes.

Instead, the company is expected to bring the iPhone 15 Pro’s Action button to all iPhone 16 models. Credible sources also believe Apple will tack on a new capture button to the iPhone 16:

• Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman believes the iPhone 16 will get a new capture button for shooting videos.
• The Information says the button is mechanical, not capacitive, and it will respond to pressure and touch.
• Leaker Instant Digital corroborates this and adds that a light press on the button will let users adjust the camera’s focus.
• CAD images from 91Mobiles show off what this button, and the overall iPhone 16 Pro design, could look like.

Apple may have changed its mind, the rumor could be inaccurate, or perhaps the parts are for next year’s iPhone 17 models rather than the iPhone 16.

We simply don’t know yet. But with the iPhone 16 release getting closer, we expect to gain clarity in the coming weeks. The iPhone 16 series should launch in September.