Buttoning Up: A Celebration of 20 Years of Solid-State Technology

Thanks to the usual assortment of analyst reports and leaks, we often hear about new iPhone features years before they actually come to fruition. Sometimes this is simply because Apple starts prototyping new ideas and technologies well in advance, but other times the company has more ambitious plans that don’t pan out.

Such appears to have been the case with solid-state controls. Over three years ago, reliable supply chain insiders said they were coming to the iPhone 15 Pro, replacing the mechanical volume and side buttons with capacitive versions that would respond to touch. These were expected to follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 7 home button, using Taptic Engines to simulate the feel of pressing a physical button.

However, it wasn’t long before we heard reports that Apple was “wavering” on the technology, with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who first revealed Apple’s plans in October 2022, reporting “unresolved technical issues” with the new design. Rather than risk delaying the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple scrapped its capacitive plans, and returned to mechanical buttons.

Many believed Apple would try again with the iPhone 16 lineup, since that would give it an extra year to perfect the design. However, when the 2024 models arrived, the only capacitive button was the new Camera Control. Even the new Action button introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro and continued into the entire iPhone 16 lineup remained a clickable mechanical button.

Nevertheless, there was every reason to believe that solid-state buttons were still on Apple’s roadmap, and now it looks like they could be something the company is saving for its “20th anniversary” iPhone model next year.

The Long, Haptic Road to the ‘iPhone 20’

In a fun-filled Weibo post. serial leaker Instant Digital speculates on several features they believe are going to the so-called “iPhone 20” — including solid-state buttons.

Notably, Instant Digital expressly states in their latest post that these aren’t based on solid information, but are merely semi-educated guesses, emphasizing that their post is “just a discussion.” Whether the leaker is reading between the lines from supply chain sources is unclear, as they’ve often shared accurate information in the past, but there’s a strong disclaimer on this one that nothing here should be taken as a prediction — something that Instant Digital suggests often gets lost in the translation from Chinese to English.

That said, there’s good reason to believe that the solid-state buttons could appear in next year’s model. As we’ve said, there’s no indication Apple has completely given up on the idea, and the company not only proved such a thing was possible a decade ago with the iPhone 7, but has also repeated it with the Camera Control. Since many are expecting the 2027 iPhone to be a big deal thanks to the device’s 20th anniversary, it would be as good a time as any for Apple to change things up.

On the other hand, nearly all of the hype we’ve heard around next year’s iPhone has come from similarly questionable sources, many of which may also be making their best guesses based on limited information. There are reliable reports that Apple has Samsung Display working on new “micro-curved” displays, and is believed to be working to eliminate the bezels. However, that last part isn’t exactly news; Apple has been shrinking the bezels for years, undoubtedly with the goal of reaching a bezel-free display. In that regard, this feels like a guess that’s about as obvious as solid-state buttons — things we know that Apple is working on, conflated with the idea that it’s waiting to debut them on the 20th anniversary iPhone.

Milestones vs. Reality: The ‘Anniversary’ Trap

However, this is where most of these reports tread the line between reality and wishful thinking. It’s highly unlikely Apple is “saving” features for a special edition iPhone. That’s not how any sensible company does things in a highly competitive environment. Apple releases things when they’re ready, and if it had managed to nail solid state buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro — as it reportedly tried to — these would already be old news by now.

The same holds true for a notch-free screen. That’s a nut that Apple has reportedly been trying to crack for years, and rumors of its attempts have been all over the map. In 2020, some believed that Apple would eliminate Face ID to do it, reverting to under-display Touch ID. Others took a more measured approach, believing Apple would bring a punch-hole display to the iPhone 14, and reports of under-display Face ID have resurfaced regularly since.

Yet, here we are in 2026, looking at an iPhone 17 lineup with a camera array not all that different from the original iPhone X. Sure, Apple has replaced the notch with Dynamic Island on most of its iPhone models, but none of the core elements have yet moved under the screen.

That’s not to say that Apple isn’t working on this. There’s plenty of evidence that the goal really is to create an iPhone with a smooth screen unmarred by any notches or other holes. Apple will get there eventually, and it might even be able to move some of the components under the display by next year, but reliable analysts say we’re nowhere close to getting rid of all the cutouts.

The bottom line is that had Apple solved this problem three or four years ago, it would have implemented it in one of those earlier iPhone models. On the flip side, if it still can’t make a notchless screen — or solid-state buttons — work to its satisfaction, it’s not going to rush half-baked tech just to hit a birthday milestone — especially when 95% of customers care more about battery life than a calendar date.