Apple supplier Cirrus Logic may have vaguely hinted that next year's iPhone 15 Pro models will get haptic buttons, according to research firm Barclays.
In a newsletter to shareholders this month, the Texas-based semiconductor company said it continues to "work with a strategic customer" and expects to "launch a new HPMS component for smartphones next year." HPMS refers to Cirrus Logic's high-performance mixed-signal chips, which include the haptic drivers for the Taptic Engine in iPhones. On a conference call with analysts this month bordered John Forsyth, CEO of Cirrus Logic, set the timeframe for the launch of this new component as the “second half of next year,” which would coincide with the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro models in September.
iPhone 15 Pro models could get haptic buttons
In a letter to investors last week, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley said the new component mentioned by Cirrus Logic will most likely be part of additional Taptic Engines for the haptic buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro models:
The biggest change in our thinking is that we are modeling $1 for new content in the IP15 Pro models. To be clear, the company hasn't said much here other than that the chip is a mixed-signal chip and not in the power range. The biggest change in the new iPhone models next year is the elimination of buttons, which would require additional drivers for the haptics engine and thus is the most likely use case for new content.
In October said Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 15 Pro models will come with solid-state volume and power buttons. Kuo said the devices will come with two additional Taptic Engines that provide haptic feedback to simulate the feel of button presses without the buttons physically moving, similar to the home button on the current iPhone SE models or the Force Touch trackpad on newer MacBooks. Haptic buttons on iPhones could enable even better water resistance and would eliminate moving parts that can wear out or break over time. However, the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to continue to have mechanical buttons. (Photo by hadrian / Bigstockphoto)
