Apple has reportedly dropped plans for an iPhone 15 with “solid-state” buttons

Apple’s plan for the iPhone 15 to ditch physical keys in favour of solid-state buttons with adjustable sensitivity has reportedly been scrapped after ordered hardware failed to live up to expectations.

More of a marketing gimmick, the new buttons without mechanical actuation were to have haptic response and adjustable sensitivity, allowing operation even through gloves or uncovered protective covers. For example, for iPhone 15 versions with solid-state buttons, the uncovered protective cases would have had the keys moulded in relief, the phone “knowing” how to interpret presses that neither touch the side bezel nor trigger any physical mechanism.

Even if it remains with mechanically operated keys, the iPhone 15 will be the first Apple phone to make the switch from Lightning to USB-C, with the change warranted by obligations under new European legislation. However, Apple has already found a “loophole” that will still allow it to sell accessories at inflated prices by adding a security chip to future USB-C iPhone cables. Without that chip, charging speed will be severely limited by “non-original” USB-C cables, with Apple only providing the minimum level of compatibility it is obliged to by European law.

Also on the list of rumored but unconfirmed improvements is a new design with more rounded shapes and narrower bezels around the screen, already backed up with unofficial renderings.