The release of Apple’s iPhone 15 series is getting closer, but a new report has revealed that the journey to September’s expected launch date is not going smoothly. And it is Apple’s flagship iPhone 15 which has been hit hardest.
According to The Elec, both LG Display and BOE have yet to gain Apple’s approval to produce screens for the iPhone 15 Pro Max after running into a number of manufacturing problems, which are expected to see availability of the model severely restricted at launch.
The cause of the issues is said to be the record-breaking new slim bezels for both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, with supply for the latter’s exclusive new periscope camera also compounding the situation. There are also production issues with the new 48-megapixel cameras on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Both LG Display and BOE are struggling to add Dynamic Island cutouts to the displays, while Sony and LG Innotek have suffered yield issues producing the 48MP and periscope cameras, respectively.
In response, Apple is said to have focused production on the iPhone 15 Pro in an attempt to still create a 50/50 balance of Pro and non-Pro models. Last year iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models heavily outsold the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus at launch, though significant price rises for the iPhone 15 Pros may curtail that this time around.
When will the production issues be resolved? According to The Elec camera yields are slowly improving and Apple has asked Samsung to try and cover the panel shortages from LG Display and BOE, with the latter not expected to fix its problems until 2024. Despite this, Apple is still expected to announce all iPhone 15 models in September, though insiders are split over whether they will not go on sale until Q4.
For those upgraders who are prepared to wait/reserve early, they will get iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models that closely resemble the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max with Dynamic Island designs, A16 chipsets, and a 48-megapixel primary camera. iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max buyers will receive more upgrades, thanks to their troublesome yet eye-catching super slim bezels, next-gen 3nm A17 chipsets, titanium chassis, new solid-state Action button and upgraded UWB. All iPhone 15 models will also move from Lightning to USB-C and feature smarter, cooler stacked battery technology.
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