Virtual Machines: Kuo: Some iPhone 14 rear camera lenses suffer from 'quality issues'

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last week that some of Apple's memory and panel suppliers are facing component shortages, which should result in a "limited impact" on iPhone 14 shipments this fall. In a new report, Kuo claims Apple may have to switch suppliers again as some rear camera lenses for the iPhone 14 have suffered from "quality issues".

As detailed by the analyst on Twitter, some of the camera lenses provided by Genius "suffered from quality issues with coating cracks". Kuo says in the same tweet that Apple has already transferred an order for about 10 million lens units from Genius to Largan, another Taiwanese lens-focused company, to avoid significant delays in iPhone 14 production.

Despite these setbacks, Ming-Chi Kuo believes Largan is more than capable of filling the supply gap. Based on its experience, it should take Genius up to two months to resolve the coating crack issues in its lenses. If this lasts longer, Largan should remain the main supplier of lenses for the iPhone 14 range.

With this in mind, it seems unlikely that this situation will result in Apple delaying the release of the iPhone 14. However, it will come as no surprise when the product hits stores in limited quantities. It is worth noting that Apple orders components for a new product months before its official launch, which gives the company time to fix such issues.

On the other hand, Kuo also reported that last week Apple has expanded its list of component suppliers for iPhone 14 Pro models SG Micro's integrated circuits have passed the company's quality certification. This shows that the company has a "plan B" to avoid major delays in iPhone 14 shipments.

iPhone 14 rumors

Kuo: Some iPhone 14 rear camera lenses suffer from 'quality issues'

Apple is expected to introduce four new iPhone models this year. However, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be the only ones that have a faster chip and a new screen design with pill-shaped cutout instead of notch. Rumor has it that this year's Pro models will also be available a new 48-megapixel wide-angle camera able to record 8K video.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will also be available the biggest front camera upgrade in years with a new larger aperture f/1.9 lens and autofocus for better low-light performance.

The regular iPhone 14 models should be heavily based on the current iPhone 13 hardware, with minor camera upgrades, larger batteries, and 6GB of RAM instead of 4GB. The most notable upgrade to the mid-range lineup this year will be the replacement of the "mini" model with a new 6.7-inch screen "iPhone 14 Max".

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 14 in September.

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