Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The iPhone 15 series could have edges that are less sharp than before.
- This would make for a more ergonomic and overdue change.
- It’s also believed Apple is sticking with physical buttons due to “engineering problems.”
Apple’s iPhones have stainless steel edges, but one common complaint is that they can be a little too sharp for many people. Now, a trusted source has claimed that Apple could address this for the iPhone 15 series.
Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has claimed in his Power On newsletter that the edges connecting the side and front of the iPhone 15 series “are now less sharp than before.”
This would be a welcome change, as some users noted that recent iPhones tend to dig into their palms due to these edges. So any measures to mitigate this issue would be very welcome.
iPhone 15: Here’s why physical buttons are staying
Gurman also dished out a reason why the iPhone 15 series is sticking with physical volume and power buttons. This comes after early leaks initially pointed to Apple adopting capacitive buttons with force feedback before more recent rumors dismissed this change.
The journalist asserts that Apple is keeping physical keys due to “a slew of engineering problems” with the capacitive buttons. “There also were concerns about the cost increase compared with regular buttons,” Gurman added.
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He didn’t elaborate on the engineering hurdles, although we imagine that internal space might be one of these challenges. After all, these capacitive keys require components related to haptic feedback as well. So Apple may have been forced to compromise on battery capacity and other features to accommodate these new keys.
Gurman also noted that Apple is indeed shrinking the size of the iPhone 15 Pro line’s display bezels from 2.2mm to 1.5mm. This is apparently due to a new manufacturing approach called low-injection pressure over-molding (or LIPO). This process was reportedly used on the Apple Watch Series 7 screen and could eventually come to the iPad as well.
He also suggested that you should expect all four iPhone 15 models to receive a minor price hike outside the US, while not ruling out a price hike in the US itself.
