If you’re thinking of buying a new iPhone 15 Pro Max, don’t delay

Now that we know the iPhone 15 will arrive at Apple’s “Wonderlust” event on Tuesday, September 12, we can focus all our attention on what is releasing and when. And now we have a new report that suggests the iPhone 15 Pro Max might be constrained at launch.

After reporting earlier this week that the iPhone 15 Pro Max was entering mass production and wouldn’t see a delay as rumored, Ming-Chi Kuo now cautions that due to “production challenges” the iPhone 15 Pro Max has lagged behind the other models. He says the Pro Max was “the last to kick off,” which implies it might be a few more weeks before Apple catches up to demand.

According to Kuo, the main reasons for the issues were with “stacked CIS, panels, batteries (expanding when exposed to heat), and titanium frames.” He specifically notes that the difficulties with the titanium frame stem from “significant design changes during development,” specifically the move away from solid-state buttons.

While Kuo indicates that the production issues have been resolved and shouldn’t affect long-term production, his report indicates that supplies of the new 6.7-inch phone will be constrained at launch. He also notes that the stacked CIS camera issue “still affects about 10–15% of shipments of regular models.”

But even so, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be the hard one to find. Combined with reports that the iPhone 14 Pro Max was the most popular handset in the first half of 2023 and the rumors of new exclusive features such as a periscope camera for enhanced zoom, we would recommend pre-ordering one as soon as you can, likely at 8am ET on Friday, September 15.

Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor