The iPhone 16 will most likely have an extra button, on the same side as the on/off button, but placed slightly lower. You need to know this.
iPhone 16 will have a ‘capture’ button
The iPhone 16 series will have an extra touch-sensitive button (so it cannot be physically pressed), which is known internally as the ‘Capture Button’. The button codenamed ‘Project Nova’ will likely be one of the main selling points of the iPhone 16 series, although it is not yet fully known what the new touch button will be used for.
Touch instead of mechanical
The Capture Button is therefore expected to be a touch button and not a standard mechanical button. Capacitive buttons do not move when pressed. Instead, the button detects pressure and touch, and provides haptic feedback.
The button probably works the same way as the home button on the iPhone SE. Furthermore, the capacitive buttons are equipped with a force sensor. Force sensors detect the force being applied and convert the magnitude of that force into electrical signals.
Previous capacitive buttons
When developing the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple experimented with capacitive buttons in the form of the so-called ‘Bongo project’, which has since been discontinued. The Bongo module consisted of capacitive power and volume buttons.
Apparently the Bongo module was canceled after unsatisfactory test results and a significant number of hardware problems. The cancellation gave Apple plenty of room to redesign the capture button for the iPhone 16 series. This time with a completely new twist.
iPhone 16 series with ‘capture’ button
The capture button will make its debut across the entire iPhone 16 lineup, including the base model iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. But Apple has also created a hardware configuration without the capture button, possibly to fall back on in case of persistent hardware failures.
The iPhone 16 series is also expected to have a touch-sensitive action button, with a similar design to the ‘capture’ button. The camera island on the back is also being redesigned, with a vertical camera arrangement similar to that of the iPhone 12. The Pro models are also expected to have a larger screen, namely 6.3 and 6.9 inches (compared to the current 6.1 and 6.7 inches).
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