The rumor mill currently has it that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums.
The source also shared accurate details about the Dynamic Island feature that debuted with the iPhone 14 Pro, and is considered reliable.
The source has indicated that the new microprocessor will replace Apple’s current super-low energy mode that allows an iPhone to be located via Find My after it has been powered off or for up to 24 hours if its battery has been depleted, and enables Apple Pay Express Mode to be used for up to five hours after the battery has run out.
It’s also thought that the new chip will take over existing Bluetooth LE/Ultra Wideband functions in addition to powering the handset’s solid-state buttons – which could include an “action” button that replaces the mute switch – when the handset is on, off, or the battery has been depleted. The microprocessor will “immediately sense capacitive button presses, holds, and even detect their own version of 3D Touch with the new volume up/down button, action button, and power button, while the phone is dead or powered down,” stated the source.
The source also claimed that the new low-energy capacitive features are currently being tested with and without Taptic Engine feedback while powered off, but not while the battery is dead, however “whether this tidbit makes it to production or not is highly uncertain but IS being tested,” they added.
Finally, the source claims that their own contact is part of Apple’s development team, and that this person has seen two functional versions of the rumored new unified volume button in testing, including one where the volume goes up/down faster depending on the amount of force used when pressed, and another where the volume can be adjusted by swiping up and down on the button with a finger. They do not know which method will be adopted for the final release, but these features are enabled by software, so this functionality may well be user-customizable.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors and MacRumors Forums