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Tag: Foxconn

  • Rumor: Apple begins iPhone 17 test via Indian production plants

    Rumor: Apple begins iPhone 17 test via Indian production plants

    Apple appears to be ramping up their iPhone 17 production, with manufacturer Foxconn importing the handset’s parts from China to India for trial production.

    According to customs data reviewed by The Economic Times, Foxconn has begun receiving shipments of critical components such as display assemblies, cover glass, mechanical housings, and integrated rear camera modules at its Indian facilities in June.

    As such, industry experts have begun to work to interpret the scale of these shipments as indicative of early-stage trial production. Mass production of the iPhone 17 is thought to be scheduled to begin in August before a launch in September.

    From its end, India is said to have already begun to participate in Apple’s New Product Introduction (NPI) process, which governs the early stages of new model development and previously took place exclusively in China. India joined the NPI process for the ‌iPhone 16‌ and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus in 2024, which allowed production to begin nearly simultaneously in both countries.

    In a change of production style, Apple is rumored to be targeting same-day production starts in both China and India for the first time ever. Per DigiTimes, Apple is looking to deepen its manufacturing footprint in India as part of its plan to diversify its supply chain, with Foxconn playing a central role under India’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

    According to a source close to the story, Apple is looking to scale production according to plan and noted that import bottlenecks for machinery and equipment needed for large-scale manufacturing have begun to ease. The entire ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup is expected to launch in the fall.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, The Economic Times, and DigiTimes

  • Rumor: iPhone Fold to enter pre-production in late 2025, will enter mass production in 2026

    Rumor: iPhone Fold to enter pre-production in late 2025, will enter mass production in 2026

    The iPhone Fold saga continues, with the rumor mill suggesting that the device is now entering mass production in 2026, with pre-production beginning in late 2025.

    Per a Wednesday X post by Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities, Foxconn will be kicking off a project to produce Apple’s first foldable smartphone in late Q3 or early Q4 of 2025. This places the start of the project around the time the iPhone 17 is expected to hit store shelves. Kuo has stated that many specifications of components, including the all-important hinge mechanism, have “yet to be finalized.” Still, Kuo noted that the all-important folding display has been finalized, and that Samsung Display is preparing to manufacture between 7 and 8 million foldable panels for the iPhone Fold.

    The rumor mill is presently stating that the iPhone Fold will include a pair of displays, with the internal 7.8-inch folding screen accompanied by a 5.5-inch external screen. Other features include an under-display camera system, and hole-punch cameras have been speculated, along with the return of Touch ID instead of Face ID.

    The price for the iPhone Fold could end up at around $2,300 when it eventually ships.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and @mingchikuo

  • Foxconn confirms microLED development work, mass production of displays to begin in 2025/2026

    Foxconn confirms microLED development work, mass production of displays to begin in 2025/2026

    Although Apple has yet to complete its transition from LCD to OLED displays, it seems that the next logical step for the company is for microLED screens.

    Key supplier Foxconn recent announced that it expects to begin mass production of the technology in late 2025. The announcement also confirmed Foxconn’s relationship with Porotech for microLED to be used in future augmented reality headsets.

    The transition to microLED would afford Apple even brighter displays with greater color accuracy, longevity, and power efficiency, and without the burn-in weakness of OLED. The company was expected to begin this move with a microLED Apple Watch, but later cancelled (or, likely, postponed) this plan as the tech wasn’t sufficiently advanced.

    Per Foxconn’s announcement:

    “Leveraging Porotech’s cutting-edge gallium nitride (GaN) technology and Foxconn’s vertically integrated services, from MicroLED wafer processing to packaging and optical modules, the collaboration aims to meet the demands for micro-display chips and AR glasses production. Together, they will provide high-performance, high-brightness, compact, and lightweight AR display solutions to advance global AR and micro-display technology development […]”

    It’s been noted that Foxconn plans to establish a microLED wafer processing production line in Taichung, with mass production slated to begin in Q4 2025. This, in turn, would indicate that the first products incorporating the tech launching in Q1 2026.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Rumor: iPhone SE 4 to receive 48-megapixel rear camera, OLED screen

    Rumor: iPhone SE 4 to receive 48-megapixel rear camera, OLED screen

    Apple’s fourth-generation iPhone SE 4 is said to be en route, and it’s rumored that the new handset’s changes will extend beyond an OLED display and include a 48-megapixel camera.

    Per ET News, LG Innotek and LG Display are supplying the cameras and displays for the iPhone SE 4. In the case of LG Innotech, while it previously only supplied the rear camera for the iPhone SE 3, it will do the front as well for the iPhone SE 4.

    Mass production of the camera modules has reportedly started in LG Innoteck’s Vietnam plant. Due to the low selling price of the iPhone SE range, the company is expected to use existing components instead of developing new cameras.

    It’s been said that the front camera will use a 12-megapixel sensor, thereby matching the resolution of the iPhone 16’s front camera. It’s unknown if this will be a TrueDepth camera, and the iPhone SE 4 has been claimed to use Face ID instead of Touch ID.

    Around the back, the single sensor is said have a resolution of 48 megapixels, again equalling the iPhone 16’s Fusion camera for size.

    The report also stated that Foxconn and China’s Cowell Electronics will be working in its supply chain.

    The screen itself is expected to have a 6.1-inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel, similar to the iPhone 13 in construction. LG Display is already mass producing the screen, apparently, but again it won’t be the only supplier.

    China’s BOE is said to be working on the OLED screen as well. Sources say LG Display will provide between 25 percent and 35 percent of the display panels.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and ET News

  • Rumor: iPhone 17 Air handset to sport ultra-thin design, will see changes in 5G, battery components

    Rumor: iPhone 17 Air handset to sport ultra-thin design, will see changes in 5G, battery components

    A series of details has begun to surface as to Apple’s forthcoming “iPhone 17 Air,” which is rumored to launch next year.

    Per The Information, the current iPhone 17 Air prototypes are between 5 and 6 millimeters thick, a dramatic reduction compared to the iPhone 16 at 7.8 mm. With these changes, Apple’s engineering team is said to be “finding it hard to fit the battery and thermal materials into the device.” An earlier supply chain report also detailed Apple’s struggles with battery technology for the iPhone 17 Air.

    The report also indicated that the iPhone 17 Air will contain only a single earpiece speaker given its thin design. Current iPhone models feature a second speaker at the bottom of the device. It’s also rumored that the iPhone 17 Air will feature a single camera on the back that will be housed in a “large, centered camera bump.”

    The iPhone 17 Air will be “among the first iPhones” to use Apple’s in-house 5G modem, according to the report. As it stands right now, however, Apple’s modem still can’t match Qualcomm’s 5G chips in terms of performance, although it is more efficient. It also lacks support for the mmWave 5G protocol:

    “However, Apple’s in-house modem doesn’t perform as well as Qualcomm’s. Its peak speeds are lower and its ability to stay connected to cellular networks is slightly less reliable, the person said. And Apple’s in-house modem lacks support for millimeter wave, a technology introduced in the iPhone 12 that allows for higher cellular speeds in certain areas.”

    Finally, it’s been rumored that Apple’s hardware team has yet to find a way to fit a physical SIM card tray in the handset. While Apple has gradually phased out physical SIM cards in the United States and other countries, a SIM card slot is still required for phones sold in China.

    The iPhone 17 Air is reportedly in early production trials at Foxconn and recently graduated from proto-1 to proto-2 status.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and The Information