New iPhone SE Supports Haptic Touch, With 3D Touch Now Officially Eliminated From Apple's iPhone Lineup

The new iPhone SE, like the iPhone XR, ‌iPhone‌ 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, features support for Haptic Touch instead of 3D Touch, which means that ‌3D Touch‌ has officially been eliminated from Apple's ‌iPhone‌ lineup as the now-discontinued ‌iPhone‌ 8 was the last ‌iPhone‌ Apple sold that supported ‌3D Touch‌.

iphonesehaptictouch
Apple first removed ‌3D Touch‌ from the ‌iPhone‌ XR in 2018, replacing it with Haptic Touch. The feature was then rolled out to the entire 2019 ‌iPhone‌ lineup, and now, added to the ‌iPhone SE‌.

‌Haptic Touch‌ is similar to ‌3D Touch‌ and offers a lot of the same functionality, but it is not pressure sensitive so there are no longer multiple functions for each press, such as the "Peek and Pop" gestures that were possible with ‌3D Touch‌.

‌Haptic Touch‌ is more like a long press or a press and hold with haptic feedback, and like ‌3D Touch‌, it works throughout the iOS operating system. It can be used by pressing in a relevant location until a small haptic pop is felt under the finger and a secondary menu pops up, with content varying based on where the feature is used.

For those coming to an ‌iPhone SE‌ from an older phone with ‌3D Touch‌, the transition to ‌Haptic Touch‌ will feel unfamiliar at first because it's slower than the ‌3D Touch‌ gestures, but because it ultimately works in the same way, most users should become accustomed to it quickly.

Eliminating ‌3D Touch‌ in favor of ‌Haptic Touch‌ across the ‌iPhone‌ lineup allows Apple to provide a similar interface experience for all ‌iPhone‌ and iPad models. For more on how ‌Haptic Touch‌ works and where it can be used, make sure to check out our Haptic Touch guide.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Buyer's Guide: iPhone SE (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

jasonefmonk Avatar
56 months ago
I will always miss this feature. Keyboard text selection—and text selection in general—has certainly gone downhill on iOS since it’s removal.

There were a lot of features tied to 3D Touch that allowed me to be faster at more complex tasks. I‘m worried we’ll never get that back.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sirious Avatar
56 months ago
I really really loved 3D touch.. shame really.

Also can't believe my iPhone X has all the 3D touch hardware and sensors, yet the functionality has been forced off my phone :(
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimmy James Avatar
56 months ago
I’ll miss 3D Touch. Long press introduces a delay 3D doesn’t require.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tobefirst ⚽️ Avatar
56 months ago
Haptic touch, and the user interface that resulted from the elimination of 3D touch is a distinct downgrade from how 3D touch worked. Sad.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mizouse Avatar
56 months ago
i really love 3D touch too.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
esh314 Avatar
56 months ago
Why does it say the battery life "lasts about the same as iPhone 8"? Shouldn't the lack of 3D Touch allow for a bigger battery, like it did in the iPhone 11 Pro?

(Seems like the A13 should also improve battery life.)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)