Apple’s high-end models are expected to have a new action button when they launch later this year, according to earlier iPhone 15 Pro rumours. And one leaker has improved our understanding of what such a button might be capable of.
The action button is said to be a component of the iPhone 15 Pro’s revamped frame, which may also have solid-state buttons and a single, extended volume rocker. According to this rumour, the action button would take the place of the existing iPhone’s mute switch.
The action button on the iPhone 15 Pro would be programmable and take design cues from one found on the Apple Watch Ultra. The stopwatch function, the Wayport and Backtrack features, the Dive feature, the torch and other programmable shortcuts may all be accessed by pressing that button. It can also initiate workouts.
According to recent comments from leaker analyst941 on Twitter(opens in new tab), the action button could also take up some other functions in addition to triggering features like those for the iPhone 15 Pro. To start, you would press the action button together to turn the phone off.
Currently, to turn off an iPhone, press and hold both of the volume buttons as well as the side button. Users of the iPhone 15 Pro will shut off or reset their handsets by simultaneously pushing the action and power buttons, according to analyst941.
The leaker also said in a tweet(opens in new tab) that the action button might replace the volume up button as the shutter button for taking pictures on the iPhone 15 Pro while in the Camera app. The iPhone 15 Pro’s camera may be focused with a light press of the action button in the camera app. A strong press will take a picture, and a press and hold-will record a video.
However, that presupposes the action button would be a solid-state button, as pointed out by MacRumors(opens in a new tab), which noticed the tweets. That assertion is currently the subject of intense debate. Apple is putting off plans to integrate solid-state buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu, since it will be too difficult to implement the required sensors this year. Analyst941 continues to believe that the Pro models will include capacitive buttons that enable the aforementioned functions.
When discussing debunked rumours, it’s also important to mention that some Apple watchers no longer think the iPhone 15 Pro will have a single volume control. That doesn’t rule out the prospect of other Pro phones having solid-state buttons, though.
The iPhone 15 Pro would undoubtedly stand out from the other iPhone 15 models if it had a separate action button. However, it doesn’t appear to be the only innovation coming to Apple’s Pro devices this fall. The titanium sides that are expected to be used on the next Pro models should be stronger but lighter than the stainless steel that Apple now employs. The phones ought to have a faster A17 Bionic chip as well, and rumours suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will include a periscope-style telephoto lens for greater magnification.
