All three of Apple’s proposed iPhone models for 2018 will reportedly include 3D sensing tech for augmented reality and Face ID — which means that Apple has its work cut out producing all of them.
As a result of last year’s 3D sensor production issues, it’s therefore getting started on manufacturing earlier this year, with trial production set to kick off as early as the second quarter of 2018.
According to supply chain sources, this is because Apple wants to, “avoid a repeat of the mishap caused by the initial low yield rates on production of 3D sensor modules for those models introduced last year.”
Last year, the iPhone X reportedly ran into trouble when its iPhone X sensor yield rate failed to reach a satisfactory level. While Apple wound up quickly marrying supply with demand for the iPhone X (possibly because of lower than expected demand), this year it has considerably more handsets to produce 3D sensors for.
Interestingly, today’s report suggests that, despite orders of the iPhone X proving disappointing, manufacturers in the iPhone supply chain are more optimistic about prospective orders for 2018.
Apple’s 2018 iPhone plans
At present, reports suggest that Apple’s 2018 iPhones will include a 5.85-inch (the same size as the iPhone X) and 6.45-inch OLED model, as well as a 6.1-inch LCD model. A plan to produce a 5.85-inch LCD iPhone has reportedly been suspended since mid-February, and could be cancelled altogether.
Making this year’s refresh more tantalizing is the fact that, as we wrote yesterday, they could be considerably cheaper than the $1,000 iPhone X: something which has proven hard to swallow for a lot of customers.
What are you hoping for from the 2018 iPhone handsets? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Digitimes
