The iPhone 16 series is expected to gain an additional capacitive button, known internally as the “Capture Button.” Codenamed “Project Nova,” the button is likely to be one of the main selling points of the iPhone 16 lineup, assuming it gets past the initial testing phase. The Capture Button is located on the same side as the Power button, only positioned slightly lower – where the mmWave cutout can be found on more recent iPhone models. The mmWave cutout has been moved to the opposite side, located under the volume buttons. It is currently unknown what the new capacitive button will be used for.
The Capture Button is expected to be a capacitive button rather than a standard mechanical one. Capacitive buttons, unlike mechanical buttons, do not move when pressed down. Instead, the button detects pressure and touch, providing haptic feedback through the use of haptic engines. The buttons are expected to work similarly to the Home Button on the iPhone SE, which mimics the press of a physical button through the built-in Taptic Engine. According to our sources, the capacitive buttons will feature force sensor functionality. Force sensors detect applied force and convert the magnitude of force into electrical signals.
Early in the development of the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple experimented with capacitive buttons on the iPhone in the form of the since-canceled Bongo project. The Bongo module, unlike the Capture Button, consisted of capacitive Power and Volume buttons, and didn’t bring any additional buttons into the mix. Based on what we’ve heard from our sources, the Bongo module was canceled during the EVT stage of development, after unsatisfactory test results and a significant number of hardware issues. The cancelation left Apple engineers with ample room to reimagine the capacitive buttons for the iPhone 16 series, with an entirely new twist this…
read more www.macrumors.com
