The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max could be in short supply thanks to this key component

(Image credit: iMore)

Apple's best iPhones of the year could be hard to get your hands on when they're finally announced this fall. That's according to a new report that suggests Apple is struggling with producing one key component.

While the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus aren't thought to be affected, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are believed to be in trouble because Apple's display partner is unable to reliably produce their new, larger displays.

Those displays are going to have smaller bezels than other iPhones, making the visible area slightly larger without also increasing the size of the iPhone itself. But the shrinking bezels are causing issues for the company tasked with building them — LG Display.

Coming soon(ish)

That's according to a report by The Information's Wayne Ma, at least. Ma says that LG Display is using a new manufacturing process for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, adding that it is "facing challenges" which in turn "could lead to a shortage of units at launch in September." Ma cites two unnamed people with direct knowledge of the issue at hand.

If this is indeed the case it's possible that Apple may announce all four new iPhones in early September as usual, but only make the non-Pro models available in that month. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max may then arrive later, likely in the first part of October.

Apple has staggered iPhone launches before so this wouldn't be unprecedented. But it would still be bad news for buyers of Apple's high-end models. However, the report appears to suggest Apple is unlikely to delay the launch and will instead simply have fewer iPhones available for buyers.

This year's Pro iPhones could prove as popular as ever. They're both expected to have a slight redesign and new titanium chassis, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max is set to pack a new periscope lens for improved photography capabilities. Both models are also expected to ditch the mute switch in favor of an Apple Watch Ultra-like Action button.

The report notes that the iPhone 15 Pro models are now in the manufacturing testing phase within Foxconn. Manufacturing is then expected to ramp up in August.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.