iPhone 15 Pro is tipped to feature a mute button that could replace the company's ubiquitous mute switch.
iPhone 14 Pro (pictured) is equipped with a mute switch which could be replaced this year
Photo Credit: Apple
iPhone 15 Pro — expected to debut later this year as part of the iPhone 15 series of smartphones — could sport a few subtle changes to the volume and power buttons. According to details shared by a tipster on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging website, the upcoming smartphone will also feature a new multi-function mute button that could replace the popular mute switch, a notable hardware feature found on every iPhone model. The upcoming iPhone 15 series is expected to switch from Apple's Lightning port to a USB Type-C port.
Tipster Uncle Pan (translated from Chinese) recently shared images of a purported case for the iPhone 15 Pro on Weibo. The images suggest a familiar rear design with a large cutout for the camera module and support for Apple's MagSafe charging technology. In another image, the tipster holds a case for the iPhone 14 Pro alongside the one for the iPhone 15 Pro, showing subtle changes to the button layout.
The most notable change that is visible in the side-by-side comparison is the purported mute button that is located above the volume buttons on the left side of the iPhone 15 Pro case. Unlike current iPhone covers that have a cutout for the mute switch, the new mute button is shown to be covered like the volume buttons — it also appears to take much less space than the mute switch. Both the volume buttons and the mute switch are shown to be located a little lower on the left side of the phone, compared to the iPhone 14 Pro.
The leaked images of the iPhone 15 Pro case
Photo Credit: Weibo/ Uncle Pan
The leaked images of the iPhone 15 Pro case appear to contradict a recent video leaked by another tipster Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) on Twitter that also shows a mute button, but suggests that the iPhone 15 Pro could feature a unified volume rocker. On the other hand, the images shared by the tipster on Weibo suggest the upcoming phone will have distinct volume buttons like its predecessor.
The power button, located on the right side of the iPhone 15 Pro case, is also shown to be positioned lower than the one on the case for the iPhone 14 Pro. Meanwhile, the cutout for the rumoured USB Type-C port is shown to be slightly larger than the one for the Lightning port on the current model. The upcoming iPhone models are also expected to bring another significant hardware upgrade this year — a switch from Apple's proprietary Lightning port to a USB Type-C port to comply with recently passed EU legislation on a common charger for smartphones.
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