Apple is expected to complete its second-phase engineering validation and testing (EVT 2) for its upcoming 5G iPhone series by the end of June, paving the way for volume production in July, according to industry sources.
Apple has been unable to dispatch its engineers to China to conduct the final EVT processes due to the coronavirus pandemic, but in April-May it expanded a local team, which has been responsible for relaying all detail information about the development of the new iPhones to a corresponding team in the US for carrying out EVT 2, said the sources.
The iPhone supply chain will now be able to kick off volume production of the 2020 iPhone lineup in July, the sources said.
Judging from Apple's practice of usually maintaining strong pull-ins for new models in the first three months of production, the new iPhones will inject momentum in the 5G phone market in the second half of 2020, the sources said.
In contrast, order visibility for Samsung Electronics' next-generation flagship Galaxy Note series remains opaque, with some market sources indicating that projected order volumes for some key components that the Korean vendor has given to supply chain partners reach barely 50% of what the suppliers had expected, said the sources.
Supply chain makers are also conservative about component order prospects for Huawei's next-generation flagship Mate 40 lineup set for launch in second-half 2020.
Huawei has even stopped order pull-ins for its latest flagship P40 series products, less than three months since launch in late March, highlighting the plight of Huawei's smartphone business at this juncture, commented the sources.
Article translated by Steve Shen
