In the coming weeks, Apple will host its first event of 2022 to announce the iPhone SE 3. That seems to be the consensus among those in the know, and there will likely be a new Mac or two at the event as well. Meanwhile, we’re still seven months away from the launch of the iPhone 14, but leaks continue to spring every week. And the latest leak suggests that the designs of the iPhone 14 models have been finalized, as trial production begins overseas.
Apple begins iPhone 14 trial production
According to a report from Economic Daily (via MacRumors), Apple’s next iPhone has entered the OEM trial production stage. The report notes that Apple supplier Foxconn will handle the production of the Pro models, while Luxshare will take on the cheaper models.
Industry analysts explain that Apple typically issues a trial production order for its upcoming iPhone in mid-to-late February. At that point, the supplier will prepare a bill of materials and establish its quality monitoring process. Once trial production begins, the supplier will collect data, correct any abnormalities, keep an eye on the production process, and decide whether or not the products produced during the trial are acceptable.
All of this would imply that Apple has finalized the design of its next iPhone series.
What will the iPhone 14 look like?
If you’ve been keeping up with the barrage of iPhone 14 rumors and leaks over the past few months, you likely already know what to expect from the new iPhone.
From early on, all signs have pointed to the death of the notch. Apple introduced the sensor housing for the selfie camera and Face ID components back in 2017 with the iPhone X. It has appeared on every new iPhone since, save for the iPhone SE 2. The notch did shrink ever-so-slightly on the iPhone 13, but was still a prominent design element.
Last September, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser shared renders of the purported iPhone 14 Pro Max. In addition to forgoing the notch in favor of a hole-punch cutout, the newest model also features the return of circular volume buttons. Prosser also said that iPhone 14 models would be thicker, which would lead to the elimination of the camera bump.
More recent rumors have suggested that Prosser was off-base about at least one design choice. Beyond the hole-punch, Apple will also add a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display. These two cutouts will house the front-facing camera as well as the TrueDepth camera system for Face ID. Considering that we haven’t seen any recent leaks refuting these rumors, this is almost certainly the design that Apple landed on prior to kicking off trial production.
Barring any unforeseen disasters, Apple should announce the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max this September. In the meantime, Apple will host a virtual event in March for the iPhone SE 3. Furthermore, iOS 16 will debut at WWDC this summer.
