The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 release date has been pushed back into 2015 due to ongoing production issues, industry analysts have suggested.
Many believe that we’ll see two new kinds of iPhone this year, one with a 4.7-inch screen and another with a 5.5-inch display. However, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes we’ll have to wait until 2015 or late in 2014 to see the latter, writes MacRumors.
“We are conservative about 5.5-inch iPhone launching by end-2014. Even if the product is launched in 2014, it is likely to take place after mid-4Q14, which is later than the September-October of consensus, with shipments being lower than consensus of 15- 20mn units,” says Ming-Chi Kuo.
He cites difficulties in the new style of construction for the delay. “We think the 5.5-inch model will also have issues with the yield rate of in-cell touch panel and color unevenness of metal casing. Indeed, these problems will likely be even more complicated with a larger size. In addition, from a technical perspective, we don’t expect sapphire cover, used for the first time on the 5.5-inch model, will easily pass the drop test near term.”
Sapphire glass is likely to be used for the entire front surface of the iPhone 6, and is one of the most significant hardware changes in the next model. This kind of glass is incredibly hard, making it very scratch-resistant.
However, this same hardness makes the Sapphire glass vulnerable to shattering. Tests undertaken by rival Corning, the company behind Gorilla Glass 3, show that its glass is able to withstand more pressure than Sapphire glass.
The expected launch date for the iPhone 6 is some point in September, meaning we’re looking at a pretty significant delay for the rumoured larger version.
Apple’s invites to its launches usually go out around two weeks before the event it actually happens, meaning we have about a month to go to to find out if the next iPhone is to be released in September.
Next, read our Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5S comparison
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
