Rumors flew around last week that Apple was ready to ditch the Camera Control button entirely on the upcoming iPhone 18. Turns out, that might not be the case. According to reliable Weibo leaker Instant Digital, Apple isn’t scrapping the feature, it’s just tweaking it.
What’s Changing?
On the iPhone 16, the Camera Control button is a mix of capacitive and pressure sensors beneath a sapphire crystal layer. This lets the button detect taps, swipes, and presses with impressive accuracy.
But for the iPhone 18, Apple is reportedly removing the capacitive layer and keeping only the pressure-sensing tech. In other words: the button will still support light taps, firm presses, and even sliding gestures, but without the extra layer of hardware.
- Current setup: Capacitive + pressure sensors
- New approach: Pressure sensors only
- Reason: Lower costs, fewer repair headaches
Why Simplify?
Instant Digital claims the current dual-sensor design is “genuinely very expensive” and has been generating costly after-sales repairs. Combine that with the fact that Apple’s big AI-driven Visual Intelligence features haven’t fully launched yet, and the button’s value isn’t shining as bright as Apple hoped.
So instead of killing it, Apple’s trimming it down, similar to what we’ve seen on OPPO and Vivo flagships.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, this feels very Apple. The company rarely backtracks completely on a brand-new feature, especially one they just hyped on the iPhone 16. Simplifying the internals while keeping the experience intact makes sense. The real question is whether users will even notice the change, or if this is more about Apple’s bottom line than our photo-taking convenience.
At least one thing’s clear: the Camera Control button isn’t going anywhere just yet.
Comments