At least one model of the iPhone 14 series behind schedule due to lockdowns in China

One iPhone 14 model appears to be three weeks behind schedule, reportedly

The information comes from Nikkei Asia sources, which indicate that at least one of the models in the iPhone 14 lineup is a bit behind schedule, and more precisely, around three weeks late. Currently, the iPhone 14 models are all in the engineering verification test (EVT) stage of production. This is pretty much the time when Apple works with suppliers to adjust production lines and caluculate manufacturing costs.

As you may have heard, there was an unexpected lockdown closures of some of Apple's key suppliers in Shanghai, and the delay we are talking about here was causes also from impact on transport around the affected region.

Reportedly, Cupertino is working with its suppliers in order to speed up things and the aforementioned iPhone 14 model to be able to catch up and be on schedule.

An unnamed executive in the supply chain told Nikkei Asia that it is a challenge to make up for the lost time, and that Apple and its suppliers are working around the clock to speed up development.

For those of you who are curious, all new models should reportedly complete the mentioned above EVT process by the end of June, then mass production should be readied by the end of August, or possibly the start of September.

Another unnamed source stated that the development process should be sped up, and the next level should be reached at the end of June or beginning of July. If that happens successfully, it should be possible for the supply chain to meet the mass production deadline of early September. However, the source also stated this is not certain and it depends on how the process accelerates, and if the acceleration happens soon.

However, worry not - it is not expected for the situation to go as was the case with the iPhone 12, where the official unveiling of the first 5G enabled iPhones was postponed to October (instead of the usual September) because of delays caused by the pandemic.

iPhone 14 series: what we've heard so far

And a quick recap for those of you who don't know what to expect when Apple unveils the next-generation premium iPhones. Pretty much, this year there won't be a mini iPhone 14, the base models are expected to be a normal iPhone 14 and a bigger iPhone 14 Max. The two Pro-models will also be present.

Recently, there have been some rumors that the iPhone 14 Pro models could get an Always-On display, but this is not leaked information, rather a possibility mentioned by Ross Young (it may not happen, so don't raise your hopes up on that just yet).

Additionally, the Pro-branded iPhone 14 models are expected to rock a next-gen A16 Bionic chip, while the non-Pro iPhone 14 and 14 Max are expected to sport the A15 Bionic, the chip that's currently powering the iPhone 13 series. This could be due to Apple trying to make the difference between the Pro and non-Pro iPhones a bit more noticeable.

The four phones are expected to retain a similar iPhone-13-esque design on the back, while the Pro models will reportedly sport a pill and hole cutout shape to replace the notch. The four flagship phones are likely to be unveiled on September 13, according to the latest rumors and leaks.