Last week, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that because of shortages of Apple’s memory and panel suppliers. According to Kuo, some iPhone 14 rear camera lenses may need to be switched again if the company has had quality problems in the past.
The analyst notes on Twitter these provided by Genius have cracked coatings because of poor quality coating. Apple, he claims, has already transferred an order for 10 million lenses from Genius to another Taiwanese lens company, Largan, to avoid major production delays.
Ming-Chi Kuo is confident that Lurgan will cover this supply gap despite these setbacks. The repair of cracked lens coatings can take Genius up to two months, according to our experience. The primary lens supplier for the iPhone 14 line should continue to be Largan if it takes longer.
As a result, Apple is unlikely to delay the iPhone 14 release because of this situation. There is a possibility that the product will only be available in limited quantities in stores, however. Here, Apple has time to correct such problems since it orders components several months before an official launch.
Kuo also reported last week that Apple added SG Micro integrated circuits that passed Apple’s quality certification to its list of component suppliers for iPhone 14 Pro models. Clearly, the company has a backup plan for the iPhone 14 so that shipments do not get delayed.
Rumors about the iPhone 14
We expect four new iPhone models from Apple this year. A faster processor and a pill-shaped notch instead of a notch will be available on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. New 48-megapixel cameras capable of shooting 8K video are expected to debut on this year’s Pro models.
As part of the new iPhone 14, Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max models, a larger aperture f/1.9 lens and autofocus will be included as well as the biggest front-facing camera update in years.
With slight camera improvements, bigger batteries, and 6 GB of RAM instead of 4GB, regular iPhone 14 models will be mostly based on current iPhone 13 hardware. It will be notable that the mini model of the mid-range lineup has been replaced with a larger 6.7-inch “iPhone 14 Max” display this year.
I expect the iPhone 14 to be introduced in September by Apple.