The iPhone 15 Pro has already been rumored to ditch dedicated volume buttons for a unified button. And we've also heard that Apple will swap out the iconic volume ringer switch for a button as well, which has been on every iPhone since the original in 2007.
Now a new video showing leaked CAD images of the new iPhone coming this fall backs up these reports with more visual evidence. Leaker ShrimpApplePro posted the video to Twitter, which was earlier published to doyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. The new volume rocker and mute button are front and center.
More cads images The buttons! Source in video pic.twitter.com/sxy9GaNCreMarch 20, 2023
Earlier on March 3, 9to5Mac reported that both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will leverage a new single button for the volume control that works both ways depending on where the user presses it. The site also claimed that the classic mute switch would be replaced by a new "pressing type button."
Both of these moves suggest that Apple will indeed forge ahead with capacitive buttons that use haptic feedback for the iPhone 15, instead of mechanical buttons that depress. This would ostensibly result in a more durable design.
The posted video shows the new iPhone 15 Pro from multiple angles, including a USB-C port at the bottom of the phone. Apple is widely expected to ditch the Lightning port for USB-C on the iPhone 15 series.
However, one rumor suggests that Apple may attempt to charge extra for its accessories via the Made for iPhone (MFi) program in order to promise the best performance. And we've argued that a walled garden for USB-C is the last thing the open standard needs. It could also be illegal, if the rumors are true.
Other big iPhone 15 Pro design changes
While the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are both tipped to keep the Dynamic Island found on the iPhone 14 Pro series, there's several other design changes rumored for the new iPhones.
This includes a new titanium frame for the iPhone 15 Pro series. The benefit of titanium is that it's stronger than aluminum but lighter, so we could see a lighter weight iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max overall despite having the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen sizes.
We've also heard that the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max will feature a more rounded design, compared to the more squared off edges on the iPhone 14 Pro handsets. This should result in a comfier feel in hand.
Last but not least, another iPhone 15 Pro leak within the last few days says that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will sport the thinnest bezels on a phone yet. Leaker Ice Universe says the bezels measure just 1.55mm (0.061 inches) thick, compared to 1.95mm (0.076 inches) for the Galaxy S23.
Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are looking like major upgrades, especially when you factor in the rumored 3nm A17 Bionic chip, which is really impressing in early leaked iPhone 15 Pro benchmarks. And we could finally see a periscope zoom as well to go up against the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Be sure to check out our iPhone 15 Pro hub and iPhone 15 Pro Max hub for all the latest leaks and rumors.
