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Apr 18, 2024

Supply Chain reports confirm the use of Titanium bezels for the iPhone 15 Pro Max & Luxshare is set to gain more assembly orders in 2023

It's been confirmed today in two new supply chain reports from China that Apple's iPhone 15 Pro will indeed replace the existing stainless steel frame with a titanium alloy frame as had been rumored.

It's been confirmed today in two new supply chain reports from China that Apple's iPhone 15 Pro will indeed replace the existing stainless steel frame with a titanium alloy frame as had been rumored. The order is rumored to go to the Hon Hai Group, which will be shared by its subsidiary Hong Zhun and FII . The market expects that the bezel has never been the focus of new mobile phones. However, the titanium alloy bezel is slightly better than the stainless steel bezel in terms of design and weight. Therefore, the iPhone 15 adopts the design of the titanium alloy bezel for the first time, which is still expected to attract attention.

The frame design of Apple mobile phones has tried different materials in the past, including glass and stainless steel frames. The glass frame affects the communication quality due to transmission, so Apple did not continue to use this design, but boldly used titanium alloy frame this time, which is also a test of consumption. acceptability of the recipient."

Patently Apple has posted several patent reports on the use of titanium in future Apple device (01, 02, 03, 04 and 05 – 2017, filed in 2015) with first filing going back to 2017. Apple first used titanium in their new Apple Watch Ultra. Apple notes that "To build the ultimate sports watch, we crafted every element with painstaking attention to detail for unparalleled performance. Titanium strikes the perfect balance between weight, ruggedness, and corrosion resistance."

The iPhone 15 Pro bezel will be Apple's second device to incorporate titanium. The order is rumored to go to the Hon Hai Group, which will be shared by its subsidiary Hong Zhun and FII.

As Apple's patent figure illustrates, the use of titanium could also extend to a future MacBook. Their 2017 patent pointed to the possibility of using titanium on a future iPad.

Still in the air is whether the entire iPhone series will introduce the USB Type-C interface or just their Pro models and which models will adopt Wi-Fi 6E technology.

Apple may restrict their new periscope camera for superior zoom capabilities to only the iPhone 15 Pro Max (Ultra) in the initial stage. Optical leader Largan won the first batch of periscope lens orders with a possible second supplier Yu Jingguang ready for next year.

Etron Technology Inc. is a USB Type-C control chip factory, and the E-Marker chip launched by its subsidiary Yuqun has successfully obtained dual certification of USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4, two high-speed transmission interface specifications. Genesystic is one of the world's top suppliers of Type-C Hub control ICs, and has many years of experience in cooperation with Apple.

Lastly, the supply chain report noted that in order to avoid a broken chain in the supply chain, in addition to the large assembly factory Hon Hai, Apple also included two assembly plants, Pegatron and Luxshare. It is understood that Hon Hai accounts for 55% to 60% of iPhone 15 assembly, while Luxshare is estimated to assemble 20% to 25%, and Pegatron is 15% to 20%.

Luxshare’s overall iPhone shipments last year were about 20 million units. This year’s optimistic forecast can increase to 50 million units, and the neutral expectation is 42 million units. Next year, due to the increase in the penetration rate of high-end mobile phones, shipments are expected to triple.

Posted by Jack Purcher on June 25, 2023 at 06:20 AM in 5. Supply Chain News & Rumors | Permalink | Comments (0)