Apple is reportedly rethinking the design of its Camera Control button for the upcoming iPhone 18. Recent rumors suggested the company might remove the button entirely, but the leaker claims that Apple instead plans to simplify the component to lower costs.
According to the leaks, the Camera Control button remains in trial production for the iPhone 18 series. However, Apple is said to be dropping the dual-sensor setup and relying solely on pressure sensitivity. This adjustment would eliminate the capacitive sensor, which currently works alongside pressure sensors on iPhone 16 models.
On the iPhone 16, the button combines capacitive and pressure sensing beneath a sapphire crystal layer. The capacitive system detects gestures, while the pressure sensors respond to taps, presses, and swipes. With the revised design, pressure sensors alone will handle all input methods.
This approach resembles solutions seen on smartphones like the OPPO X8 Ultra and vivo X200 Ultra. Their pressure-based buttons can distinguish between light taps, firm presses, and sliding motions without additional layers.
The leaker emphasized that Apple’s motivation is financial. The current camera control button is considered expensive to manufacture and contributes to costly after-sales repairs. Internal cost pressures, combined with delayed AI-powered Visual Intelligence features, reportedly pushed Apple to simplify the hardware for the iPhone 18.