Report claims Apple supplier begins early iPhone 15 trial production
David Joseppi
Posted On 09/01/2023 
Apple supplier Foxconn has reportedly started early “machine trial production” for the iPhone 15, according to a report from Economic Daily News, via MacRumors, which claims that the supplier is working on its manufacturing techniques for the new device ahead of mass-production beginning later this year.
The report notes how the factory is now working on the new product introduction (NPI) process for the iPhone 15, which involves perfecting the manufacturing methods ahead of production at scale in fall.
“NPI is the most important preparation before Apple mass production of new machines,” says the Economic Daily News. “In the first quarter of each year, Apple usually issues trial production orders for new machine products to the OEM, that is, Apple will introduce this year’s new product plan to the OEM, and then the OEM will prepare the material list (BOM), establish appropriate production and testing machines, and must also establish a quality monitoring process.”
Apple is expected to release four new iPhone 15 models this year, including a 6.1-inch iPhone 15, 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus, 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to feature a new titanium frame similar to the Apple Watch Ultra, solid-state volume and power buttons with haptic feedback from two extra Taptic Engines, plus 2GB extra RAM compared to the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, taking the total available RAM to 8GB.
Image: Apple
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to include a new A17 Bionic chip manufactured with TSMC’s 3nm process, whereas the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will likely feature the A16 Bionic chip, with all four models to feature USB-C over Lightning.
Apple introduced the Dynamic Island with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Replacing the static “notch” TrueDepth camera system found on previous iPhone models, including the regular iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, the Dynamic Island blends and adapts in real-time to show alerts, notifications, and activities, using the pill-shaped cut-out at the top of the device’s display and turning it into part of the core iPhone experience.
