Can you believe we are just weeks away from Apple's launch of the iPhone 16 series? The assembly lines at Apple's contract manufacturers are humming and whirring around the clock, assembling iPhone16 Series models. According to the English-language website Business KoreaFoxconn has hired 50,000 new workers at its Zhengzhou factory. It feels like the release of the iPhone 15 series was just yesterday, and it will bring a touch of sadness as my iPhone 15 Pro Max will no longer be one of the four current models.
Last month, we told you that Foxconn had started hiring new workers for its Zhengzhou plant, which happens to be its largest factory and thus the largest iPhone production site. On social media and online job sites, Foxconn offered an hourly wage of 25 yuan (equivalent to 4,800 won or $3.52) and added a bonus of 7,500 yuan ($1,046.51), higher than the 6,000 yuan bonus offered in June.
We are already in the peak season for iPhone shipments, which lasts from this month until the end of the year. Apple hopes to ship 90 million iPhone16 units during this period, 10% more than in the previous year. Last year, Apple shipped 81 million iPhone15 Series models in the second half of 2023. Since the Zhengzhou plant is the world's largest iPhone production factory and Apple expects a 10% increase in shipments, it's no surprise that Foxconn has hired more employees.
Reasons for an increase in iPhone16 Deliveries this year compared to iPhone15 Last year's shipments included the tech giant's AI initiative Apple Intelligence. The latter requires 8GB of RAM and therefore only works on the iPhone 15 Pro. iPhone 15 Pro Max and all four iPhone16 models. These are the iPhones with 8GB of RAM. In addition, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively. That's more than the 6.1-inch model iPhone 15 Pro Screen and the iPhone 15 Pro Max6.7-inch display.
Hmm, Foxconn's new assembly line worker looks familiar, doesn't he?
While Foxconn continues to build the iPhone and other Apple products in China, the Taiwanese company plans to use its factory in Sriperumbudur, India, to build the iPhone 16 Pro And iPhone 16 Pro MaxThis would be the first time Apple has built a current iPhone Pro model in India. Apple still hopes to eventually move all production out of China so that the company is not hurt if the US reimposes tariffs on imports from China.
The iPhone 16 Pro will receive the Tetraprism periscope lens that was introduced last year at the iPhone 15 Pro Max with an optical zoom of 3x. The ultra-wide camera of the Pro series is supported by a 48MP sensor. We expect the iPhone 16 Pro And iPhone16 It also features a 3nm A18 Application Processor (AP), while the iPhone 16 Pro And iPhone 16 Pro Max are equipped with the A18 Pro AP, which will be a slightly higher-end version of the A18. Both chipsets are built by TSMC using its second-generation 3nm process node (N3E).
