New iPhone 15 Exclusive Reveals Stunning Apple Design Decision - Forbes

iPhone 15 Pro Max renders based on multiple leaks

@HansTSaiz

Apple’s iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro designs have already leaked in detail, but now we know the company has made a stunning late design decision to save part of a radical upgrade it had initially scrapped.

Reliable leaker Unknownz21 has revealed that while Apple was forced to scrap the solid-state haptic volume buttons planned for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, it has been able to save the highly anticipated Action button, which will replace the mute switch.

The Action button is expected to draw inspiration from the Apple Watch Ultra by being customizable in software. Whether it will support multiple functions through double tapping/long or pressure-based presses is unknown at this point, but it will be solid-state.

solid-state volume button and retained Action button

chenwen1987

Interestingly, this change comes late in the iPhone 15 Pro’s development, with Unknownz21 revealing renders of the solid-state volume button component Apple planned to use. That said, with the phone at the EVT (Engineering Validation Test) development stage, there was still time to modify the design, and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the change should not delay the release date.

Ultimately, I suspect this middle-ground outcome may prove to be the best of both worlds for most iPhone buyers. The increased utility of an Action button is an easy sell to customers and lets them get accustomed to using one solid-state button. In contrast, the solid-state volume buttons were plagued by implementation issues (including swipe gesture controls), which may have confused buyers and case makers alike. Another year to evolve this component feels like the sensible choice.

So what else with iPhone 15 Pro buyers get? According to multiple leaks, the highlights include record-breakingly slim front bezels, game-changing performance, a big upgrade to the LiDAR sensor, new rear cameras with the first-ever optical zoom lens on an iPhone, USB-C (with restrictions), and the option of an all-new deep red finish (see link below).

Leakers continue to dispute whether Apple will increase iPhone 15 Pro prices, with some reporting an increase of up to $200, but standard models are expected to remain unchanged.

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I am an experienced freelance technology journalist. I have written for Wired, The Next Web, TrustedReviews, The Guardian and the BBC in addition to Forbes. I began in b2b print journalism covering tech companies at the height of the dot com boom and switched to covering consumer technology as the iPod began to take off.

A career highlight for me was being a founding member of TrustedReviews. It started in 2003 and we were repeatedly told websites could not compete with print! Within four years we were purchased by IPC Media (Time Warner’s publishing division) to become its flagship tech title.

What fascinates me are the machinations of technology’s biggest companies. Got a pitch, tip or leak? Contact me on my professional Facebook page. I don’t bite.