Apple turns to Samsung for more NAND chips

Jul 6, 2017 09:34 GMT  ·  By

iPhone 8 production was said to be slowed down because of the limited supply of OLED panels manufactured by Samsung, and now it turns out that Apple is also struggling with 3D NAND flash.

A report from DigiTimes and citing industry sources reveals that SK Hynix and Toshiba have both experienced lower yield rates for NAND flash, so Apple had no other option than to turn to Samsung for more chips. A 30 percent drop was experienced by the two companies, but Apple hopes Samsung could compensate, as the South Korean firm has recently increased its output, the report adds.

The NAND flash supply remains tight not only because of the iPhone 8, but also due to other companies planning to launch devices in the fall, including here Samsung and Google.

iPhone 8 coming in September

With so many production struggles, there’s a chance that the iPhone 8 won’t hit the shelves in September, with some analysts expecting Apple to hold the device back until later this year.

The plan at this point seems to be unveiling the iPhone 8 in September alongside the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, but delaying the start of sales until more units are products. This means the iPhone 8 is more likely to become available in October or November, while sales of the other two models could begin in late September or early October.

The iPhone 8 will bring several new features to the Apple ecosystem, including wireless charging and fast charging, with the Cupertino-based company also planning a display with narrow bezels that was previously said to include the fingerprint sensor as well.

More recently, it’s been rumored that the iPhone 8 could give up on the fingerprint sensor entirely, with Apple going all-in on a face recognition system. A home button would be indeed embedded into the display, but without Touch ID, if these reports are true.