Two iPhone 15 Pro models’ removal of solid-state button design negatively affects Cirrus Logic and AAC / 兩款iPhone 15 Pro取消固態按鍵設計不利Cirrus Logic與瑞聲科技

郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo)
1 min readApr 12, 2023

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My latest survey indicates that due to unresolved technical issues before mass production, both high-end iPhone 15 Pro models (Pro & Pro Max) will abandon the closely-watched solid-state button design and revert to the traditional physical button design.

  1. Investors had anticipated that the new solid-state button design would increase suppliers’ revenues and profits; thus, this change is particularly unfavorable for Cirrus Logic (exclusive Controller IC supplier) and AAC Technologies (Taptic Engine supplier).
  2. Luxshare ICT, another Taptic Engine supplier for solid-state buttons, will likely be less affected by this change due to its significantly larger operating scale vs. AAC Technologies.
  3. The iPhone 15 Pro is currently in the EVT development stage, so there is still time to modify the design. In addition, removing the solid-state buttons and restoring physical buttons will simplify the development and testing process. Based on these factors, removing solid-state buttons should have a limited impact on the mass production schedule and shipments for Pro models.

我的最新調查指出,因量產前無法克服技術問題,故兩款高階iPhone 15 Pro系列 (Pro & Pro Max) 將取消市場高度關注的固態按鍵設計,改回原本的實體按鍵設計。

  1. 投資人期待全新固態按鍵設計能幫助供應商營收與利潤,故此變化特別不利供應商Cirrus Logic (獨家Controller IC供應商) 與瑞聲科技 (Taptic Engine供應商)。
  2. 立訊精密也是固態按鍵的Taptic Engine供應商,但因營運規模顯著高於瑞聲科技,故可忽略此改變對營收與利潤的影響。
  3. 目前iPhone 15 Pro在EVT開發階段,故還來得及改變設計。此外,取消固態按鍵並恢復實體按鍵,反而會簡化開發測試流程。綜合上述,初步判斷取消固態按鍵對Pro機型的量產時程與出貨量影響應有限。

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郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo)

天風國際證券分析師,分享科技產業趨勢觀察與預測。An analyst at TF International Securities. Sharing observations and predictions of tech industry trends.