Foxconn has started with the first phase of production of the iPhone 15. This initial phase is known in the distribution chain as NPI in English (New Production Introduction). This NPI phase is designed to identify any issues with production process plans as well as identify opportunities for process refinement and streamlining. That is to say, the production process begins to be planned based on the final product.
iPhone assembly companies never rest. After struggling to catch up with demand for the iPhone 14, Foxconn has already started working on the initial production phase of the iPhone 15. Although there will have already been manual assembly of a small sample of iPhone 15 models, in the NPI phase tests are carried out on a real production line. iPhones are assembled in this phase using the exact processes and equipment expected to be used during mass production in the coming months.
The primary goal of NPI production is to ensure that everything involved in the process works as expected. and detect anything that might pose a problem when mass production begins. A secondary goal is to look for opportunities to refine and improve the production process—anything that can increase performance, efficiency, or reduce costs.
The Economic Daily News has echoed that, surprisingly, Foxconn has been chosen by Apple to be the first to carry out this first phase of the production process. Foxconn is the main iPhone supplier (the assembler) and is expected to receive a large number of iPhone 15 orders in both China and India.
One of the expected changes in the production of this year’s iPhone 15 is precisely this: they will be assembled equally and in parallel in India and China. That was the plan that Apple already had for the iPhone 14 but those of Cupertino could not meet their goal since production in India had to be launched weeks after it began in China.
Line of iPhone 15 that will go into production
This year we expect a line similar to the one that Apple launched with the iPhone 14, keeping the four current models but on the line of 15:
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max or Ultra as rumored
According to the latest rumors, everything seems to indicate that this year may be the last chance to buy a Plus model, due to the sales of the iPhone 14 Plus model, which has not sold well at all. It doesn’t have much more going for it than the base model, and many of those considering paying more for screen size would have seen the point in paying the extra extra to get the many features of the Pro Max model. It’s too late for Apple to abandon iPhone 15 Plus plansbut it is not expected to see an iPhone 16 Plus except for a sales surprise in the iPhone 15 Plus models.
Not a big change in design expected regarding iPhone 14 models, but The Dynamic Island is expected to come to the base models, although the display on the entry and Plus models is neither ProMotion nor Always On. It is also expected that they will all arrive with USB-C to comply with the European Union mandate (although another year with Lightning is not ruled out and that the iPhone 16 undergoes a major design change).
As has been the custom for a few years, it is likely that the improvements occur mainly in the cameras. On the one hand, the increase in dynamic range through the use of a new generation of Sony sensors. For another, the Ultra or Pro Max would get a periscope lens to greatly increase the optical zoom range. Finally, it is expected that the 48MP sensorwhich is currently an exclusive feature of the Pro models, It also reaches the base models of the iPhone 15.
It is possible that the A17 chip to focus more on energy efficiency and battery life than on raw power, although this is based on reading between the lines of a TSMC statement. Finally, and very unexpectedly, iPhone 15 buyers could pay less than expected for this year’s phones given Apple’s analysis of iPhone 14 sales.
It is still too early to understand what the iPhone 15 will be like, but the machinery is already fuming at Foxconn.