iPhone 15 Pro Display Manufacturing Issues May Lead to Limited Supplies at Launch

Apple is having problems manufacturing the display panels for its upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max handsets. This could lead to shortages in the number of devices that will be available this September, says a report by The Information.

We’ve seen several rumors stating that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will have slimmer bezels than their predecessors. According to the report, the slimmer bezels are what is causing the production issues.

The report says Apple suppliers are shrinking the bezel size via a new manufacturing process. Apparently, the new process is causing issues with the display panels made by LG Display, which are failing reliability tests during the process where the display is fused to the metal shell.

Apple is modifying the design of the LG display panels to allow them to pass the tests, and displays from Samsung are available for the iPhone 15’s assembly.

Apple experienced similar issues when it increased the size of the Apple Watch Series 7 display in 2021. That device saw a one-month delay.

The Information doesn’t believe Apple will delay the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max as a result of these problems. Instead, it’s expected to have fewer units on hand at launch, likely leading to shortages. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is likely to be hit the hardest, so expect to see have a hard time getting your hands on one when it first launches.

However, Bank of America global securities analyst Wamsi Mohan also reported this week that Apple might delay the iPhone 15 lineup launch for a “few weeks” past the usual September release.

While Mohan didn’t provide a reason for the expected iPhone 15 launch delay, it’s reasonable to assume the delays may prove to be display related.

Mohan sees the launch slipping into the fourth quarter, and he believes that Wall Street analysts could be disappointed with third-quarter sales lagging as a result of the possible delay.

We’ve seen iPhone launches come up a bit short in the past due to component supply and manufacturing issues. Last year, the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max hit shelves on September 16. However, the iPhone 14 Plus was not available until October 7. The delay was said to be due to production issues caused by Chinese COVID lockdowns at manufacturing plants.

If the iPhone 15 does have production delays, Apple’s pre-holiday quarter revenue could be lower than expected. This may be what Mohan was referring to when he said he now expects to see Apple’s September quarter revenue come in at somewhere around $87.1 billion, well below the previous expectations of $91.6 billion. He also said he expects to see iPhone sales of 48 million iPhone units during the September quarter, which is also well below previous forecasts of 51 million units.

The Information report claims that Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro models are now at the “risk ramp” manufacturing stage, as Foxconn performs testing to determine how reliably the new devices can be built without experiencing defects. Mass production of the handsets is expected to kick off sometime in August.

The information in this article has NOT been officially confirmed by Apple and the provided details may not prove to be factual. All rumors, tech or otherwise, should be taken with a grain of salt.

[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.]