Though sometimes vastly different, smartphones have a critical point in common: they all contain physical buttons. That could change as soon as next year, however.
According to trusted leaker chunvn8888 (via SmartPrix), China’s Xiaomi is developing a new flagship device for next year that will lack physical power and volume buttons. Xiaomi’s phone is reportedly in the early stages of development, which means it might never be released. If it does launch, it would be one of only a few phones, mostly concepts, without physical buttons.
In 2019, the Vivo Apex 2019 Concept stood out for offering no ports or buttons. It included a magnetic power connector for charging and data transfer. The Meizu Zero was another concept phone that was both buttonless and portless. Instead, it relied on in-display fingerprint sensors and wireless charging.
A year before Vivo’s phone launched, HTC introduced the HTC U12 Plus, which offered a unique “Edge Sense” feature that allowed you to control the phone by squeezing its sides.
How could Xiaomi replace buttons on its rumored phone? Android Authority is probably on the right path in suggesting the new phone could use capacitive buttons or pressure-sensitive sensors. Furthermore, vibration motors could register input and provide haptic feedback.
It’s uncertain whether there is a demand for phones without buttons. Buttons are frequently used to restart phones when the screen won’t turn on or freezes. This function would need to be replaced in some manner, right?
If you like Xiaomi but would rather not wait for a buttonless phone, you won’t have to wait for a new phone to be released. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to launch around the first of the year to take on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra/Note. It should be one of the first phones to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip.
