Massive iPhone 15 Pro design change all but confirmed by CAD renders

Render showing iPhone 15 Ultra in four colors
(Image credit: @Shaileshhari03)

With Apple set to announce the iPhone 15 Pro later in 2023, we're all looking forward to seeing what the company has to offer. One of the features that we'd been told to expect was a change in button design, and while there have been conflicting reports of whether that is still happening, new renders show what it could look like.

Specifically, the renders show the rumored Action button in all its glory. What's so important here is that these renders are based on CAD files that case makers are using to build their wares.

With that in mind, it appears that previous reports that Apple had ditched plans for a solid-state button arrangement are accurate. But that doesn't mean that the Action button is gone.

Apple's going all action

New renders shared by 9to5Mac show that Apple's volume buttons do appear to be the same as those found on its current best iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro. That means that they'll be real and clicky, not solid-state.

But those worried that could also mean the lack of an Action button need not have been concerned — these renders show the Action button present and very much correct.

iPhone 15 Pro renders

(Image credit: 9to5Mac)

It's important to note that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus won't have the same button arrangement, so they'll still have a mute switch as has been the case ever since the very first iPhone in 2007.

Another aspect that these renders appear to show is a slightly smaller camera bump than we had previously been told to expect. It's still bigger than the iPhone we have today, but not quite so gargantuan as we'd feared.

Apple is expected to announce the new iPhones in or around September, so it's likely we'll see more leaks between now and the big day, too. Hopefully we'll learn more about that Action button and the kinds of things it could be used for.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.