Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last week that some of Apple’s memory and panel suppliers are facing component shortages, which should have a “limited impact” on iPhone 14 shipments this fall . In a new report, Kuo claims that Apple may have to switch suppliers again, as some rear camera lenses for the iPhone 14 have suffered from “quality issues”.
As the analyst detailed on Twitter, some of the camera lenses provided by Genius “suffered from coating quality issues and cracks.” Kuo says in the same tweet that Apple has already transferred an order of about 10 million lens units from Genius to Largan, another Taiwanese lens-focused company, to avoid significant delays in iPhone 14 production.
Despite these setbacks, Ming-Chi Kuo believes Largan is more than capable of filling the supply gap. Based on their experience, it should take up to two months for Genius to resolve coating cracking issues on their lenses. If that takes longer, Largan should continue as the main lens supplier for the iPhone 14 line.
With that in mind, it seems unlikely that this situation will cause Apple to delay the launch of the iPhone 14. However, it won’t be a surprise if the product hits stores in limited quantities. It’s worth noting that Apple orders components for a new product months before its official unveiling, so the company has time to fix issues like this.
On the other hand, Kuo also reported last week that Apple has expanded its list of component suppliers for iPhone 14 Pro models with SG Micro ICs having passed the company’s quality certification. This shows that the company has a “plan B” to avoid major delays in iPhone 14 shipments.
iPhone 14 Rumors
Apple is expected to introduce four new iPhone models this year. However, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be the only ones to have a faster chip and a new screen design with a pill-shaped cutout instead of a notch. This year’s Pro models are also rumored to have a new 48-megapixel wide-angle camera capable of recording 8K video.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will also get the biggest front-facing camera update in years with a new f/1.9 lens with a larger aperture and autofocus for better low-light performance.
As for the regular iPhone 14 models, they should be based largely on the current iPhone 13 hardware with minor camera upgrades, larger batteries, and 6GB of RAM instead of 4GB. The most notable update for this year’s mid-range lineup will be the replacement of the “mini” model with a new 6.7-inch “iPhone 14 Max” screen.
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 14 in September.
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