Kuo: mmWave 5G iPhones Have 'Potential Delay Risk,' Production on 6.7-Inch iPhone Delayed to October

Some of Apple's upcoming 5G iPhones could see a delay in production, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a note shared with investors. mmWave models, which will feature the fastest 5G functionality, have a "potential delay risk" and may launch outside of the normal timeline.

fouriphones2020
Production on the mmWave iPhone may be pushed back because of changes to the antenna package that were made in early April, and delays in qualification process services.

The mmWave iPhone will be pushed back because the design of the antenna in package (AiP) changes in early April. Additionally, the test lab is closed and can't offer qualification process services. If the pandemic can't be controlled well until July, then we think that the shipment allocation of mmWave iPhones will decrease to 5-10% from 15-20%.

Kuo says the rumored 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch iPhones will go into mass production in September, but mass production on the larger 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ will be delayed until October because it has the "most complicated" design.

Apple decided to start the online qualification process remotely and delegate more tasks to local employees for new iPhone development. The change takes time; therefore, it had caused a one-month delay in entering the engineering verification test (EVT) for all new 2H20 iPhones. We believe that there is a likelihood that new 2H20 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch iPhones will go into mass production in September. The mass production of the new 2H20 6.7-inch iPhone will be delayed to October because this model’s design is the most complicated.

Delaying mass production on the 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ until October would result in the ‌iPhone‌ launching later in the fall than expected. Other rumors have also suggested Apple could stagger ‌iPhone‌ launches this year due to production and verification process delays.

According to Kuo, ‌iPhone‌ SE sales were better than expected, but overall demand for iPhones is down. In the worst case scenario, Kuo estimates second quarter ‌iPhone‌ shipments of 29 to 32 million units, declining 20 to 25 percent year over year.

If consumer confidence and purchasing power recover in the third quarter of 2020, ‌iPhone‌ shipments could fall as little as 10 to 15 percent year over year.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
top stories 2025 12 20

Top Stories: iOS 26.3 Beta, Major Apple Leaks, and More

Saturday December 20, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd think things would be slowing down heading into the holidays, but this week saw a whirlwind of Apple leaks and rumors while Apple started its next cycle of betas following last week's release of iOS 26.2 and related updates. This week also saw the release of a new Apple Music integration with ChatGPT, so read on below for all the details on this week's biggest stories! Top Stories i...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA

Monday December 22, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers. The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iPhone Chips

Apple Clings to Samsung as RAM Prices Soar

Monday December 22, 2025 6:17 am PST by
Apple is significantly increasing its reliance on Samsung for iPhone memory as component prices surge, according to The Korea Economic Daily. Apple is said to be expanding the share of iPhone memory it sources from Samsung due to rapidly rising memory prices. The shift is expected to result in Samsung supplying roughly 60% to 70% of the low-power DRAM used in the iPhone 17, compared with a...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Why Apple's Foldable iPhone May Be Smaller Than Expected

Tuesday December 23, 2025 5:21 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the ‌iPhone‌ mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led ...

Top Rated Comments

PickUrPoison Avatar
74 months ago
October or even November, doesn’t really matter. If it’s late, it’s late. It’ll be the least of anyone’s worries.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neoelectronaut Avatar
74 months ago

The 11 Pro models are amazing devices. Waiting a little longer on the 12 won't be a big deal for me and I suspect for other 11 Pro owners.
Why would anyone that owns a iPhone 11 even buy an iPhone 12? The gap in performance has to be minuscule.

Looking forward to see how that 5.4" model pans out. Gonna be the deciding factor between me buying a new phone or just putting a new battery in my 2017 iPhone SE.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
74 months ago
iPhone 4S and iPhone XR launched in October. iPhone X launched in November. It's not like this is totally unprecedented, and not that bad of a rumored delay considering the challenges the world is facing.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
triangletechie Avatar
74 months ago

While I get your statement, not everyone has a 11 Pro, nor is the 12 Pro for those with the 11 Pro.
That's why I said it isn't a big deal for 11 Pro owners.


Why would anyone that owns a iPhone 11 even buy an iPhone 12? The gap in performance has to be minuscule.

Looking forward to see how that 5.4" model pans out. Gonna be the deciding factor between me buying a new phone or just putting a new battery in my 2017 iPhone SE.
People with disposable income. People who like to update yearly. AKA many on this site.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
triangletechie Avatar
74 months ago
The 11 Pro models are amazing devices. Waiting a little longer on the 12 won't be a big deal for me and I suspect for other 11 Pro owners.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mtneer Avatar
74 months ago
What's all the fuss about this mmWave? From what I understand you can only use it within line of sight from a tower unit and is very sensitive to even slight changes in unit orientation. So, how is this better than just plain old WiFi???
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)