The tech giant is thought to be developing solid-state toggles that use haptic feedback to replace the mechanical volume and power buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
The claim was made in a Twitter post by the respected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
“My latest survey indicates that the volume button and power button of two high-end iPhone 15/2H23 new iPhone models may adopt a solid-state button design (similar to the home button design of iPhone 7/8/SE2 & 3) to replace the physical/mechanical button design,” wrote Kuo.
“There will be Taptic Engines located on the internal left and right sides to provide force feedback to make users feel like they are pressing physical buttons.”
Kuo said that if Apple go ahead with the change it would bring the number of Taptic engines inside the iPhone 15 from one to three.
According to Kuo high-end Android smartphones are expected to follow Apple’s design change “to create new selling points, which is a structural positive for the mobile phone vibrator industry.”
The iPhone 15 is also expected to become the first iPhone to feature a USB-C port after Apple confirmed it was switching to USB-C following a recent EU ruling mandating the use of the charging standard in all future smartphones.