iPhone 16 tipped to resurrect a canned iPhone 15 Pro feature (with a twist)
We’re still processing the release of Apple’s (excellent) iPhone 15 series, but that hasn’t stopped eager tipsters from sharing new information about the iPhone 16 and its siblings.
According to a MacRumors source familiar with the development of the iPhone 16 line, Apple’s next smartphones will feature an additional, capacitive button, known internally as the “Capture” button. The source doesn’t give any hint as to the purpose of this new button, but the name suggests that it could be somehow related to the iPhone 16’s camera functionality.
While the newly introduced Action button sits above the volume rocker on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, this new “Capture” button will reportedly be placed just below the Power button on the right side of the iPhone 16. It’s expected to come to every model in the iPhone 16 series as well.
Unlike mechanical buttons, capacitive (or solid-state) buttons do not move when pressed. Instead, they have haptic motors that provide physical feedback (read: vibrations). The Home button on the iPhone SE (2022) is a capacitive button, just like the trackpads on newer MacBook models, so it’s safe to expect this new “Capture” button to feel similar.
MacRumors’ source also notes that the iPhone 16’s “Capture” button will feature force sensor functionality – in other words, it will be able to detect variations in the amount of pressure applied to it when pressed.
This is a new rumor, but we’ve heard it before in a different guise. Early in the iPhone 15 rumor cycle, the iPhone 15 Pro was tipped to get capacitive volume and power buttons. Then, in April 2023, reports emerged suggesting that Apple had reversed its decision to add capacitive buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro, with the company reportedly needing more time to develop the haptic motors needed to supply them with power.
At the time, analysts Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that these capacitive buttons would instead debut on the iPhone 16. And that prediction appears to be coming true somewhat, albeit in the form of an all-new button, rather than a redesigned one. volume and power buttons.
Of course, all iPhone 16 rumors should be taken with a grain of salt at this stage. After all, we’re pretty much a full year away from the phone’s supposed release. Still, early rumors of brightness improvements and screen size changes have us excited to see what the next generation of Apple’s top iPhones has to offer.