Is iPhone 14 not coming in September this year? Here’s what analyst Kuo says

Latest leaks confirmed by analyst Kuo state that Apple is facing quality issues with the rear camera lens of the iPhone 14. The issues are causing some lenses to crack due to coating. On 27 July, popular analyst Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed the same on Twitter.   

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I have learned that recently some iPhone 14 panel and memory suppliers have experienced supply issues, but it should have a limited impact on the coming mass production of the iPhone 14 because other suppliers can fill the supply gap.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) July 19, 2022

Issues in the lens of iPhone 14 

Last week, analyst Kuo reported some of Apple’s memory and panel suppliers are facing a shortage of components. This should result in a limited impact on iPhone 14 shipments. In his report, Kuo claimed that Apple may again have to change its suppliers as some rear camera lenses for the iPhone 14 are suffering from ‘quality issues’.   

Kuo elaborated on Twitter how some of the camera lenses provided by Genius ‘suffer from coating-crack quality issues’. In the same tweet, he said that Apple has already transferred an order of about 10 million units of lenses from Genius to Largan. For the unversed, Largan is another Taiwanese lens-focused company. In fact, Apple has done so to avoid further delays in iPhone 14’s production.   

However, Kuo believes Largan is capable of bridging the supply gap, despite the challenges. Judging by its experience, Genius should take up to 2 months to solve the coating-crack issues in its lenses. Moreover, if the process takes longer, Largan should continue being the main supplier of lenses for the iPhone 14 lineup.   

However, it is unlikely that such a situation will hamper the release of the iPhone 14. But it won’t be a surprise if the product hits stores in limited quantities. Certainly, since Apple orders components for a new product months before its official introduction. In that case, the company will have time to fix problems like such.   

Has Apple expanded the list of component suppliers? 

Additionally, Kuo also reported that Apple has expanded its list of component suppliers for iPhone 14 Pro models. This is because the 5G Micro’s integrated circuits have passed the company’s quality certification. In fact, it shows how Apple already has a ‘Plan B’ for avoiding major delays in iPhone 14 shipments.   

 Apple will release the iPhone 14 models in September 2022. The company will introduce 4 new models this year. However, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are the only ones to have faster chips and a new screen design. Moreover, the models will also have a pill-shaped cutout instead of a notch. This year’s Pro models are also rumored to get a new 48-megapixel wide camera capable of shooting 8K video.   

iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will have the biggest front-facing camera upgrade in years with a new larger aperture f/1.9 lens and autofocus for better low light performance. For the regular models of iPhone 14, they will be heavily based on the current iPhone 13 hardware with minor camera upgrades. Additionally, they will have larger batteries, 6GB of RAM instead of 4GB. However, the most notable upgrade for the mid-range lineup this year will be the replacement of the ‘mini’ models. This will be replaced with a new 6.7-inch screen ‘iPhone 14 Max’.   

Anwesha Mishra

Anwesha has been a creative writer for a while. Currently, on her pursuit of tech writing, she is diving into the realms of technology to produce better content on the forever-changing world of technology. In her free time, you’ll find her humming tunes of her favourite shows or reading a book.