Rumors claim that Apple is reconsidering the design of the Camera Control button for the upcoming iPhone 18. Some online sources suggest that the company might opt for a complete removal of the button. In contrast, the leaker claims Apple is streamlining the design to cut costs.
With the leaks, it is apparent that the Camera Control button is still in the trial production phase for the iPhone 18 series. Meanwhile, Apple seems to be abandoning the dual-sensor configuration with the camera control button and is switching to pressure-only sensors. This change would remove the capacitive sensor that works with pressure sensors on iPhone 16 models.
On the iPhone 16, the button is made up of capacitive and pressure sensors that sit underneath a sapphire crystal layer. The capacitive layer is, and the pressure sensors respond to tapping, pressing, or swiping. With the updated design, only pressure sensors will respond to taps, presses, swipes, and any other interaction.
This design is somewhat like that of the OPPO X8 Ultra and vivo X200 Ultra smartphones. Their pressure sensors can detect light taps, firm presses, and even sliding motions without needing extra layers.
The leaker added that Apple seems to be changing the design purely for cost-cutting. The current camera control button, for its part, is considered expensive to manufacture and expensive for aftermarket repairs. Competing internal cost pressures, combined with the delayed roll-out of AI-enabled Visual In.
