Update: Newly obtained information confirms that Apple plans to revert to a two-button design for the iPhone 15 Pro models, rather than using the single unified volume button. The unified volume button was a design planned for the solid-state technology, and Apple is opting to use the older design now that solid-state buttons have been delayed.
Though Apple is using the prior two-button design for volume, the company still plans to replace the mute switch with a new mute button. The mute button could potentially be customizable, working similarly to the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra.
The renders in this article represent the design that Apple planned to use prior to opting to eliminate solid-state buttons, featuring the design that Apple planned for during much of the iPhone 15 Pro development process. This is likely the design that Apple will use for the iPhone 16 Pro models, which are now expected to include the solid-state button technology instead of the iPhone 15 Pro models.
The original article is below.
With recent rumors indicating a last-minute change to the iPhone 15 Pro's feature set, what's in store for the device's volume buttons remains to be seen. We've heard multiple rumors that the iPhone 15 Pro models are set to adopt a new volume button and mute switch design, but emerging rumors about Apple's abandonment of solid-state button technology throw the design rumors into chaos.
As of right now, there is no indication that Apple will change its plans for a single, elongated volume button and a mute button instead of a mute switch, and we have an accurate look at what the buttons will look like provided there are no radical design shifts in store. Leaker Unknownz21 worked with MacRumors to share the actual design of the iPhone 15 Pro's volume and mute buttons, which haven't been seen before now.
We used iPhone 15 Pro information sourced from Unknownz21 to create images that depict the design of the volume, mute, and power buttons, including a view of the internal components. Note that these renders were created before the most recent solid-state rumors, there could be changes to the internal layout, but there is a good chance the external design will remain the same. In fact, Unknown21 has confirmed that the solid-state button design was still in development until very, very recently, and there is a chance that it hasn't been canceled at all.
Leaks to date have gotten the single volume rocker rumor right, but the design that Apple developed includes a split in the middle to designate the volume up and volume down sections of the button. With the middle split, the design looks similar to two separate buttons, but it is a notable departure from the current button design in which the volume up and volume down buttons are distinct.
Apple has not used this kind of unified button design since the iPhone 3GS in 2009, as the company swapped to two separate round volume up and down buttons with the iPhone 4, and ultimately transitioned to dual elongated buttons with the 2014 launch of the iPhone 6. It is worth highlighting that the single button design the middle separation has been in place since the early iPhone 15 Pro development period.
Apple initially planned to introduce the single volume button design alongside solid-state technology, but reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes solid-state buttons have been abandoned. There were "unresolved technical issues" that Apple was unable to address before mass production, so solid-state buttons will be delayed and ultimately introduced with a later version of the iPhone.
Solid-state technology is what Apple uses for the Mac's trackpad and the Home button on Touch ID iPhones. With this feature, the volume button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max would not have physically depressed, instead using haptic feedback to mimic the feel of a press. With haptic buttons delayed, Apple could instead use the single button design with standard physical buttons.
So far I haven’t seen anything to suggest a different exterior design for the buttons - if this is true then I think it’ll likely be more of an internal change, rather than something visible. Currently, EVT units use the existing design - although changes are always possible 🤔 https://t.co/eK71637HRJ — Unknownz21 🌈 (@URedditor) April 12, 2023
In his Medium post, Kuo said the buttons will have a "traditional physical button design," but he did not provide context on whether Apple would stick with the single volume button design change or revert to the same two button design that was used for the iPhone 14 models. There is now some added mystery surrounding what kind of volume button design we'll get for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, and there are arguments both for keeping the single button design and for reverting to the prior design. Unknownz21 believes that Apple will make minimal changes to the buttons at this point, and that while there could be added separation between the buttons, the design will not be the same as the iPhone 14 button design.
Given that there are other internal changes planned for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max to accommodate new camera technology (specifically in the case of the periscope lens for the Pro Max), it may not be easy for Apple to go back to the original volume button design. Additionally, there were rumors that Apple planned to replace the mute switch with a mute button, and that the button could serve as a multi-use Action button similar to the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra.
The Apple Watch Ultra Action button and the Side button on all Apple Watch models use physical button technology. They are not haptic or solid-state, so a case can be made that what works for the watch will work for the iPhone. Apple can retain the single volume button and the "Action" button even without a shift to haptic technology. Apple has been referring to the button as the "ringer button" or "action button" internally, which does indeed seem to suggest there could be a multi-function customizable button.
