Xiaomi could well beat Apple to the punch with the buttonless iPhone that has been talked about for some time. The world’s third-largest phone maker will unveil a phone with no buttons, volume controls, sliders, capacitive keys or anything like that, similar to yesterday’s Mi Mix Alpha concept you can see above.
According to a source from Smartprix, Xiaomi will unveil the concept of a buttonless phone early next year. The phone, tentatively dubbed Project Zhuque by the development team, will be a high-end device powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset.
Hidden beneath the display will be a selfie camera, which is said to be of higher quality than similar attempts from Samsung or ZTE. Navigating a phone without buttons would obviously be difficult, but Xiaomi has likely found a combination of inputs that could easily replace the power and volume buttons, as well as any other paraphernalia that normally protrudes from the side of the phone.
Apple has been rumored to be developing a full-screen iPhone with no ports or buttons for some time, first for the iPhone 15, now for the iPhone 16, but the project is not coming to fruition anytime soon. Apple has reportedly found it difficult to replace tactile buttons with capacitive ones, so instead of releasing an iPhone with no buttons, the company will add more elements around the iPhone. iPhone16 Series.
First of all, the Action Button of the iPhone 15 Pro models will make its way to all phones of the iPhone16 series. Second, the capacitive buttons that Apple has put so much work into will reportedly make a cameo on the iPhone 16 Pro handsets in the limited capacity of a camera record button.
So Xiaomi could overtake Apple in the field of buttonless full-screen phones by unveiling a true full-screen device with no camera punch-hole or Dynamic Island camouflage and no buttons around it to spoil the impression of an infinite display. However, a big unknown is whether Project Zhuque will be a concept device or an actual commercially available phone that you can buy and marvel at.
A dedicated tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, Daniel has been covering mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he has a keen interest in the future of digital health, vehicle connectivity, and 5G. Outside of his professional activities, Daniel finds balance in traveling, reading, and discovering new tech innovations, all while reflecting on the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
