One of the most notable innovations with the iPhone 16 line is the extra camera button that sits on the side. With the iPhone 17 Pro, on the contrary, we seem to have to give up two buttons again. But which ones?
After launching the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro last year, we got another button on the side this year. This Camera Control button gives you access to all sorts of camera functions.
Yet now Apple seems to have had enough with all those buttons. In fact, the iPhone 17 Pro should get two fewer buttons if the latest rumors are to be believed.
The iPhone 17 may have two fewer buttons
So in two years we’ve gained two different buttons on Apple’s smartphone, but next year that could just change. You might just have to give up two buttons again.
According to rumors, Apple wants to merge the volume buttons and action button into one button on the iPhone 17 Pro. The news comes from X user Majin Bu, who has a varying track record on Apple. For example, he was the first to report how big the screen of the Apple Watch 10 would be.
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From what I’ve been told, it looks like Apple is testing an iPhone 17 Pro with a new button that will replace the volume buttons and the action button that have been removed.
Full Article: https://t.co/QKPVQFTjzs pic.twitter.com/L58qJBHD3k
– Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) September 30, 2024
That may sound strange to remove two more buttons so soon after two, but it actually makes quite a bit of sense. Apple has long been rumored to want a larger action button that works similarly to the Camera Control button. There have also been rumors of a volume button for some time. This may now be merged into the button Bu mentions.
Apple is testing different designs for the iPhone with different buttons. However, these designs did not get beyond a prototype. The new version Bu mentions may also be another prototype, since he calls it a test.
Other plans for the iPhone 17
Still, the question is whether Apple really wants to implement this. A new button requires user habituation time. Now that two buttons have been added in a short time, it may be difficult to get rid of them again.
Apple seems to be going in a different direction with the iPhone 17 anyway. For example, rumors suggest there should be a thinner model to replace the 17 Plus. Exactly what that will look like, however, remains to be seen.