Apple may have finalised the iPhone 14 Pro design as trial production kicks off
India Today
Apple's suppliers have reportedly started with the trial production of the company's flagship phones for this year. The report indicates that the Pro models will be made by Foxconn this year, while the lower-end devices will be produced by Luxshare.
iPhone 14 Pro has reportedly entered trial production, marking the first step to its mass production and rollout later this year. The annual event is a crucial stage wherein Apple tests the production capabilities of its suppliers for its upcoming product, while the latter tests the viability of procuring the necessary material, producing the product, and ensuring quality checks on the same.
The production stage is important in yet another aspect - it shows that Apple has finalised the design of its flagship iPhone series for this year. While the company will not share the same for obvious reasons, we have a fair idea of the changes it might introduce this year around, thanks to previous leaks by noted tipster Jon Prosser.
Prosser highlighted a few changes on the iPhone 14 lineup in his video last year. The most notable of these would be the subdued camera bump at the back. The squarish camera model with excessively protruding camera lenses seen on the iPhone 13 Pro Max will reportedly be merged with the rear panel. This would help balance out the phone's rear panel, meaning an easier placement with the camera lenses not unbalancing the phone when it is kept face up on a table.
Another major change will be with its selfie camera at the front. While the current Apple flagships employ a rather wide notch to house the selfie shooter, the next iteration of Apple phones will come with a pill-shaped punch-hole cutout. As per a video by YouTube user thehacker34 shared last month, the iPhone 14 Pro models will carry two punch-hole cutouts on the display. One will house the TrueDepth camera system for Face ID, while the other will carry the selfie camera.
A report by the Taiwan Economic Times, as first spotted by Macrumors, suggests that Foxconn, Apple's largest supplier, has started the trial production of the iPhone 14 Pro. The report specifies that the company will only be involved with the production of the high-end models of the iPhone 14 series this time, meaning it will produce the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The lower-end models will then be produced by Luxshare, another Apple supplier. The report mentions that the foundries will now "collect data, correct abnormalities, evaluate the production process and the items that need to be improved, and assess whether the trial production is acceptable."
They will also prepare a bill of materials (BOM), to procure the required production and testing machines, as well as put a quality check process in place.
