Apple's highly anticipated iPhone 15 series launch is likely to be delayed into October, pushing the smartphones beyond their typical early September timeframe, according to an industry insider with a rock-solid track record. A further leak may also have revealed Why.
In a research note shared with Barrons, Wamsi Mohan, a global securities analyst at Bank of America, revealed that after conducting channel checks in Apple's supply chain, he expects the iPhone 15 release date to be in the fourth quarter, spanning from October to December.
Mohan is known for accurately predicting the iPhone 12 delay in 2020, and this latest report is significantly more of a shock, given the former was widely (and predictably) impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report says LG displays are failing reliability tests at the point where the display is fused to the chassis, which has forced Apple to change the design. The Information claims that Apple has displays from Samsung which do pass the tests, but they are not available in sufficient numbers, which will result in stock shortages at launch.
Where the two reports differ, however, is The Information believes the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max launches will still go ahead on time, albeit with limited stock. In contrast, Mohan has already revised his projections for Apple’s September quarter based on the whole range being delayed. The analyst projects Apple will see a $4,5BN revenue drop ($87.1BN from $91.6BN) just from these missing iPhone 15 sale weeks.
In isolation, late iPhone arrivals are not uncommon. In addition to the iPhone 12 delay, the iPhone 14 Plus was also hit by pandemic lockdowns in China, and the iPhone X was delayed two months as Apple switched to its all-new design in 2017. That said, neither was disrupted due to a single design element, the kind of flaw which is usually ironed out in early manufacturing runs.
Such a delay is unlikely to dissuade eager upgraders, but it will inevitably cause long backorders up to Christmas and into the new year.
Rounding up the leaks, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max buyers will get more improvements with a next-gen 3nm A17 chipset, titanium chassis, solid-state Action button and upgraded UWB, in addition to those super slim bezels. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will largely copy the design and spec sheet of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, while the whole range will swap Lightning for USB-C.
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