Reliable supply chain analyst Ming Chi Kuo says that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max “will start mass shipments this week” despite supply chain issue reports. Kuo also forecasts strong unit shipments compared to other analysts who have recently cut back their predictions.
“The market is concerned that iPhone 15 shipments will be further cut due to supply chain issues (my estimate of 80 million units vs. conservative views of 70–80 million units), especially iPhone 15 Pro Max shipments will be delayed,” Kuo writes.
“However, the fact is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will start mass shipments this week, and Apple is also increasing shipments of legacy models simultaneously.”
9to5Mac reported a week ago that a major equity analyst note described by a source claimed iPhone 15 Pro Max would see a three to four week delay compared to other models.
We’ve also covered recent analyst prediction updates from Jeff Pu and Japanese bank Mizuho that include cuts to iPhone 15 unit shipment predictions. Pu’s forecast dropped from 83 million to 77 million units. Mizuho reduced its production estimate from 84 million to 73 million units.
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Kuo, however, is holding strong at 80 million iPhone 15 units shipped while forecasting 250 million iPhone shipments across 2024. The analyst also believes Apple could top Samsung in units shipped in 2023.
“Samsung’s smartphone shipments have been cut to 220 million units this year,” writes Kuo. “If Apple keeps the 2H24 iPhone orders unchanged, then the iPhone shipments are expected to reach 220–225 million units in 2023, surpassing Samsung as the largest smartphone brand.”
Kuo expects the iPhone to beat Samsung in 2024 as well.
9to5Mac recently reported that Apple will no longer offer a gold color option with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Instead, Apple is replacing it with a “Titan Gray” color using the new titanium frame. The special edition Deep Purple color will be replaced with a new dark blue option.
We expect Apple to unveil the iPhone 15 lineup on September 12. Apple will likely make the date official between tomorrow, August 29, and Tuesday, September 5.
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