Future smartphones will no longer have buttons, instead Apple will likely rely on a solution with its Taptic Engine. This is reportedly happening with the iPhone 15, analysts have reported Ming-Chi Kuo These days. The Android world is expected to follow suit.
I am really hoping for a good solution. I myself use a current MacBook Air and the Taptic engine for the touchpad is outstanding. Apple actually does a great job of making the touchpad feel like real buttons rather than actually being one. So I have no worries about the iPhone.
HTC led the way a few years ago, but no one followed
But we often know less good solutions from other manufacturers. HTC tried this a while back with the U12 and the result was so-so. But the reality is that the industry often wants to make some big changes if Apple moves on. This will likely be the case in this case as well.
So get ready for more flagship phones without real physical/mechanical volume and power buttons. I wouldn’t be surprised if some Chinese brand comes forward and implements such solutions first.
