Don’t panic, Apple fans! iPhone 15 Pro Max might not be delayed after all

News
By Axel Metz
published

Apple's golden goose is reportedly back on schedule

Tim Cook presenting at a recent Apple launch
Tim Cook presenting at a recent Apple launch (Image credit: Getty Images / Justin Sullivan)

Good news, prospective iPhone 15 owners: despite previous rumors hinting that the iPhone 15 Pro Max could arrive later than other iPhone 15 models, we’re now hearing that the phone’s production line is back on track.

According to seasoned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will receive mass shipments of the iPhone 15 Pro Max at some point over the next few days, which suggests that the phone will indeed be available in time for its expected September launch.

Suffice to say, this is good news for both consumers and Apple itself – not least because the iPhone 15 Pro Max is tipped to outsell other iPhone 15 models by a huge margin.

Those aforementioned iPhone 15 Pro Max delay rumors were based on concerns surrounding the mass availability of Sony’s new supersized image sensor – which is reportedly destined for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, exclusively – but it now seems as though these supply chain issues have been resolved.

iPhone 14 Pro Max on a yellow background

The iPhone 15 Pro Max's cameras were reportedly behind the delay concerns (Image credit: Future / Apple)

We’re expecting the actual iPhone 15 release date to fall on or around Friday, September 22 this year, with Apple's 2023 iPhone launch event likely to take place on either Tuesday, September 12 or Wednesday, September 13. iPhone 15 pre-orders will probably begin a few days after that event on Friday, September 15, with shipping dates following another week later (hence that Friday, September 22 prediction).

If Apple does decide to delay the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it wouldn’t be the first time that the company has held up one specific iPhone model in a new iPhone lineup. As recently as last year, the iPhone 14 Plus shipped almost a month later than the rest of the iPhone 14 family, and in 2020, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max arrived a few weeks after the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.

As such, there is a precedent for those iPhone 15 Pro Max delay rumors. But Kuo’s recent claim regarding incoming iPhone shipments suggests that Apple’s next best iPhone will arrive on time, after all.

As for how well the iPhone 15 line is expected to perform more broadly, some analysts claim that the iPhone 15 is on track to become the best-selling iPhone in years, while others say that Apple is cutting iPhone 15 production due to ‘demand concerns.

In any case, the iPhone 15 Pro Max looks set to be the most popular model of the lot, and our iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max comparison details some of the possible reasons why.

More iPhone 15 stories

Axel Metz
Axel Metz
Phones Editor

Axel is TechRadar's UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.  Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.