The most recent COVID lockdowns ended in China a few days ago, including the one that impacted the so-called “iPhone City.” The world’s top iPhone assembly hub mass-produces the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max right now, which are the two most popular iPhone 14 models.
Apple informed buyers in mid-November that iPhone 14 Pro supply would be constrained due to the new COVID restrictions. Consumers would have had to purchase a 14 Pro immediately to get it by Christmas. A month later, production is gradually getting back on track in China, and shipping times also see signs of improvement.
But the bad news is that you still can’t order an iPhone 14 Pro from Apple and get it by Christmas. You’ll have to wait about a month for the delivery.
Per Apple Insider, JP Morgan’s Apple Product Availability Tracker shows that production is slowly returning to normal. But Apple is far from meeting iPhone 14 Pro demand. The two handsets were sold out even before China imposed the new lockdowns. The production issues only made things worse.
The global tracker says the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus have a 3-day wait time, similar to last week. But the Pro models have seen improvements, with lead times dropping from 29 days to 27 days.
In the US, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus have lead times of 3 days. The more expensive models will ship in 25 days. Both quotes are identical to last week.
Europeans have seen shipping improvements for all iPhone 14 models. Buyers in the UK and Germany have to wait 2 to 3 days for the iPhone 14 models. Shipping times for the Pros are static in Germany (25 days) but improved in the UK (27 days to 26 days).
Chinese consumers will have to wait the longest for an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max. Lead times improved from 39 to 32 days, but that’s still more than a month of waiting. The non-Pro models saw lead times increase from 1 day to 4 days.
The analysts at JP Morgan expect a “more muted” December quarter for new iPhone sales, as Apple is still working on reaching normal production levels. But they also see demand and revenue pushing into the March quarter. That’s to say that some of the buyers who can’t get a Pro model in time for Christmas will still purchase the handset.
Your best bet on scoring an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max is looking for resellers or used units. Otherwise, you can still secure an iPhone 14 or 14 Plus in time for Christmas.
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