Apple Forced to Delay Flagship 6.7-inch iPhone 12 until October

Apple may be forced to stagger the launch of its iPhone 12 models, claims GF Securities’ analyst Jeff Pu in a research note to clients.

According to Pu’s proposed schedule, Apple may start selling the smaller iPhone 12 models in September as expected, while the launch of the company’s larger, 6.7-inch flagship model may be postponed until October.

Pu blamed travel restrictions that are hampering production and cargo flight issues as the reason for this unexpected delay. 

Engineering Verification Test Extended

According to the research note obtained by MacRumors, the “Engineering Verification Tests” or EVTs for all iPhone 12 models are behind schedule.

The testing for the 5.4-inch model is thought to have been extended by a few weeks and is now scheduled for late April. The testing for the 6.7-inch model, however, has been pushed off even further and is currently slated for mid-May. These tests are critical steps an iPhone must pass before mass production can begin.

Previous Staggered Launches

This delay isn’t anything new for iPhone owners looking to upgrade their phones. Apple staggered its iPhone launch in 2017 when the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were released in September, followed by the iPhone X in October. It happened again in 2018 when the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max went on sale in September while the iPhone XR landed one month later in October.

iPhone SE 2 Rumors Continue

Pu also addressed the long-rumored iPhone SE 2 in his research note. The GF Securities’ analyst claims the iPhone SE successor will debut in mid-April, a date hinted at in another recent rumor from Apple leaker Jon Prosser. Prosser claims executives recently agreed to launch the new entry-level iPhone on April 15 and ship it to customers on April 22. Best Buy and other retailers are allegedly receiving cases and preparing their marketing pushes for the phone’s imminent launch.

Expected iPhone SE 2 Specs

The iPhone SE 2, also referred to as the iPhone 9 in rumors, is expected to replace the iPhone 8 in Apple’s current iPhone lineup. The smartphone will include a 4.7-inch display, a Touch ID-enabled home button, an A13 processor, 3GB of RAM, and onboard storage options up to 256GB.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]