Apple’s first iPhone phablet – the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 version rumored to launch later this year – may be delayed until 2015 according to a new report from Taiwan’s Business Times. Apple is apparently facing some supply chain issues with the device, though we have seen similar reports ahead of Apple’s iPhone launches every year. The publication says the iPhone maker needs significantly thinner batteries for its bigger iPhone, at least when compared to previous-generation devices, and suppliers are currently struggling to meet that demand.
The report says the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will need a battery that’s just 2mm thick, or one-third thinner than batteries from competing devices, which typically measure 2.8mm or 2.9mm.
The iPhone 6 is going to be even thinner than the iPhone 5s, an analyst with an accurate track record reporting on unreleased Apple devices said. The phone will have a profile of anywhere between 6.5mm to 7.0mm, compared to the iPhone 5s, which is 7.6mm thick.
Even though the internal battery is apparently supposed to be much thinner, it’s also supposed to offer 50% to 70% more watt-hours than the iPhone 5s, according to the same analyst, who also revealed that the 5.5-inch model was on track to launch in late 2014.
While the new report from Taiwan can’t be confirmed at this time, it’s not unusual to see rumors suggest Apple is having manufacturing issues with a certain component ahead of a new iPhone launch.
