The next iPhone family may arrive in October rather than the usual September timeframe.
That’s at least what DigiTimes, a hit-and-miss Taiwanese trade publication with solid supply chain sources, is saying in a new report Monday. According to the report, the planned launch of Apple’s 2020 iPhone lineup “is likely to be in October instead of September.”
DigiTimes tends to be pretty reliable in deciphering Apple’s supply chain moves, but not so much in terms of timeframes so take that claim with a pinch of salt.
To give you some context, the rumor-mill is expecting the iPhone 12 family to come in four models and three sizes: there should be an entry-level 5.4-inch model, a 6.1-inch devices with similar specifications to the entry-level model and a pair of iPhone 12 Pro models, one with a screen measuring 6.1 inches and the other measuring 6.7 inches diagonally.
The publication adds that volume production of the lower-end 6.1-inch model will kick off in July-August ahead of the rest of the iPhone 12 lineup. Displays for the 6.1-inch should be made by LG rather than Samsung, with Samsung handing the rest of the orders across the whole lineup, an earlier DigiTimes report claimed, adding that Samsung should supply about eighty percent of the OLED displays to be used in the upcoming iPhones.
9to5Mac’s Ben Lovejoy has two possible explanations for the earlier start on these models.
First, a contingency to ensure LG can meet quality standards during volume production. LG has experienced glitches with one of its production lines earmarked for OLED iPhone screens and has reportedly struggled to meet both quality and volume requirements.
Second, the higher-end displays made by Samsung have a more advanced design which eliminates a separate touch layer, simplifying assembly.
This panel is an on-cell touch OLED panel that does not require a separate film.
Dubbed OCTA Touch, it’s basically a flexible OLED panel that has built-in touch function with touch sensor placed on top of thin film encapsulation inside of a panel. Previous iPhones required a separate touch layer by attaching a touch film on a display panel.
Thoughts on the next iPhone potentially arriving in October?