Foxconn has launched the first phase of production of the iPhone 15. This initial phase is known in the distribution chain as NPI in English (New Production Introduction). This NPI phase is designed to identify any issues with production process plans as well as identify opportunities for process improvement and streamlining. That is to say, the production process begins to be planned according to the final product.
iPhone assembly companies never rest. After struggling to catch up with demand for the iPhone 14, Foxconn has already started working on the initial production phase of the iPhone 15. Although there has already been manual assembly of a small sample of iPhone 15 models, in the NPI phase tests are carried out on a real production line. iPhones are assembled during this phase using the exact processes and equipment that are expected to be used in mass production in the coming months.
The main objective of NPI production is to ensure that everything involved in the process works as expected. and detect anything that could be a problem when starting mass production. A secondary goal is to look for opportunities to refine and improve the production process, anything that can increase performance, efficiency, or reduce costs.
The Economic Daily News echoed this, surprisingly, Foxconn was chosen by Apple to be the first to carry out this first phase of the production process. Foxconn is the main iPhone supplier (the assembler) and is expected to receive a large number of iPhone 15 orders in China and India.
One of the expected changes in the production of this year’s iPhone 15 is precisely this: they will be mounted equally and in parallel in India and China. This was the plan that Apple already had for the iPhone 14 but those in Cupertino could not achieve their goal since production in India had to be launched weeks after starting in China.
iPhone 15 line that will go into production
This year we expect a line similar to the one Apple launched with the iPhone 14, keep the four current models but on line 15:
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max or Ultra as if making noise
According to the latest rumors, everything seems to indicate that this year may be the last chance to buy a More model, due to sales of the iPhone 14 Plus model, which did not sell well at all. It doesn’t have many more benefits than the base model, and many who are considering paying more for the screen size would have seen the value in paying the extra extra to get the Pro model’s many features. Max. It’s too late for Apple to abandon iPhone 15 Plus plansbut we don’t expect to see an iPhone 16 Plus except for a sales surprise in the iPhone 15 Plus models.
Not a big design change planned regarding iPhone 14 models, but Dynamic Island is expected to arrive on base models, although the display on Entry and Plus models is neither ProMotion nor Always On. They’re also expected to all arrive with USB-C to comply with the European Union mandate (although another year with Lightning isn’t out of the question and the iPhone 16 will get a design change major).
As has been the custom for some years, it is likely that the improvements mainly occur in the cameras. On the one hand, the increase in dynamic range thanks to the use of a new generation of Sony sensors. On the other hand, the Ultra or Pro Max would get a periscope lens to dramatically increase the optical zoom range. Finally, we expect that the 48 MP sensorwhich is currently an exclusive feature of the Pro models, It also reaches the base models of the iPhone 15.
It is possible that the A17 chip to focus more on power efficiency and battery life only raw horsepower, though that’s based on reading between the lines of a TSMC statement. Finally, and most unexpectedly, iPhone 15 buyers may pay less than expected for this year’s phones given Apple’s analysis of iPhone 14 sales.
It’s still too early to figure out what the iPhone 15 will look like, but the machines are already smoking at Foxconn.
