14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s most affordable 2018 iPhone also proves the most difficult to build, if a recent analyst note is accurate.
The company’s new iPhone trio reportedly includes a cheaper model coming with a 6.1-inch LCD panel, while the other two, likely to be a successor to the iPhone X and a Plus-sized sibling, are expected to feature an OLED screen.
Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty says Apple suppliers have experienced particular struggles with the 6.1-inch LCD panel, experiencing a mass-production delay of approximately 1 month. By the looks of things, a so-called LED backlight leakage is the culprit and Apple has already managed to fix it together with partners.
No launch impact just yet
Originally, Cupertino expected this production issue to produce a 6-week delay, but given the rapid fix, the impact has been reduced to 4 weeks. While it’s believed that this problem might lead to a launch delay for the cheaper iPhone, this is still not confirmed, as Apple suppliers are being asked to accelerate output in order to compensate for the late production kickoff.
Apple struggling to build the LCD panel of its new iPhone is a little surprising, especially because the company has been using this particular display technology for many years already. On the other hand, the transition to a new design with a notch and integrated facial recognition modules might be what causes the struggles, as similar problems were experienced last week during the early stages of iPhone X production.
The new LCD iPhone is expected to embrace a design similar to the iPhone X, with an edge-to-edge approach and a notch at the top of the screen. Bezels, however, will probably be thicker than on the iPhone X, though when looking at the new phones from the front, the difference may not be easily noticeable.
Previously, it was rumored that the LCD model might launch one month after the OLED siblings, as Apple wants to give its premium iPhones some exclusive time on the market.