What you need to know
- Apple is now thought to have asked Foxconn to begin trial production of iPhone 14 Pro.
- Trial production of iPhone 14 isn't thought to have begun yet.
- Apple is likely to announce the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro devices in or around September.
Apple's long-time manufacturing partner Foxconn has reportedly begun manufacturing trials of the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro.
While Foxconn's high-end trials have begun, a new Taiwan Economic Times report suggests that Luxshare is yet to kick off trials of the standard iPhone 14.
Via machine translation:
Apple iPhone 14 has recently entered the OEM trial production operation. It is reported that the red supply chain indicator factory Luxshare has not yet obtained the new product trial production import mass production service order (NPI), and will miss the OEM with the best sales, high unit price and higher profit. For the high-end iPhone 14, this year, it may only get orders for the basic iPhone 14 and become the second supplier.
The report goes on that the current trials can be thought of as the "early stage of receiving orders" for new iPhones, assuming no issues are discovered following the trial manufacturing period.
After the trial production begins, the foundry must collect data, correct abnormalities, evaluate the production process and products that need to be improved, and evaluate whether the trial-produced products are acceptable. Mass production, therefore, NPI can be regarded as the early stage of receiving orders and entering mass production.
Apple is expected to announce its best iPhone yet later this year, likely in or around September. In terms of differentiation between iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, we can expect some form of improved camera functionality at the very least. However, the Pro devices are also expected to do away with the notch for the first time, using a hole-punch and pill-shaped design in a way that will give them a very distinct look. While all iPhone models will likely go that way eventually, 2022 looks set to bring the design change to Apple's high-end devices only.
