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The iPhone 16 would reportedly feature an additional button, which is said to be solid-state backed by its haptic engine. According to a report on MacRumors, Apple has named it “Capture Button” internally. Its functionality remains unclear at the moment, but the button is expected to be located below the power button and will likely be a capacitive button rather than mechanical.
According to the report, Apple would move the mmWave antenna responsible for operating 5G frequency waves at short distances to the left side of the smartphone freeing up space for an additional button on the right side. This additional button would be available on all iPhone 16 series models, including the base line iPhone 16 and 16 Plus.
Previously, there have been reports in the news stating that the American tech giant is planning to transition the action button to a solid-state button. For the uninitiated, solid-state buttons are capacitive buttons backed by haptic feedback for mechanical button-like clicking experience. Apple would use solid-state for the Action button and Capture button. The volume keys and power button are reported to continue with mechanical.
The Action button debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro models, replacing the single-function mute switch that only allowed toggling between ring and silent modes. The Action button offers more customisation options and comes with preset functions, including silent mode, focus mode, camera with support for various modes, torch, voice memo, magnifier and accessibility features. Additionally, the Action button can be configured alongside Apple Shortcuts, to offer more personalisation options to the user. In its current state, the action button employs a press-and-hold gesture, accompanied by haptic feedback and visual cues in the Dynamic Island to confirm actions.
